Tokyo Mew Mew Parfait: Year of the Tiger
by MPSpitFire
Summary: A new Mew Mew? Leo has returned once again to help restore Project Mew Mew but definitely not without struggle. She still has her emotional scars and needs to heal them. Join Leo and her friends for one last ride. A sequel to my story Tokyo Mew Mew Parfait.
1. Withdrawn

**_A/N: Hello and welcome to the sequel of my series. I'd like to start by saying this will be rated T until things change. NOT A SPOILER BUT I prefer Leo to deal with slightly difficult teen situations. So as I said it might change the rating. But for now it's T until further notice._**

* * *

It was a clear crisp morning. Each high school student sluggishly made their way into the school gates and only a few rare annoying students were screaming for their friends with excitement. This was normal. Every student struggled to seek out their friends and battle their sleepiness.

"Eh excuse me," a blue haired girl said politely as she pushed passed a group of students. They called out to her and she politely waved but pressed on.

She turned her head in various directions in search of her close friend.

"Hey Amber," a boy called out to her.

She looked over to see her beloved approaching her with another one of their friends.

"Jojo, Apollo, good morning guys. Have any of you seen Leo? I've been looking for her all morning," she asked tiredly.

Both guys shook their heads. Amber huffed irritably before crossing her arms. She rolled her eyes and hope to God her friend wasn't skipping class again. This was starting to become a bit of a habit.

"She hasn't exactly been the same since… you know," Jojo hesitated.

"Well maybe this time will be different. Maybe she'll show up for class," Amber replied.

"Well speaking of which, it's about class time now. We should hurry before we're late," Apollo said as he urged his two friends on.

They reluctantly followed him into the school to begin their day.

* * *

The girl in question was at school, but she wasn't in class. She sat on the school roof with a popsicle in her mouth and taking pictures of the early morning sun with her phone.

"Beautiful as always," Leo said quietly.

"You know you really should be in class right now," Mamo, her robotic cat companion, said irritably.

"Maybe later."

"Maybe later comes out of your mouth a lot. Education is very important and you need to go."

Leo pushed her bangs out of her face and shrugged. Her red hair only fell right back into her face. She rolled her eyes and pushed it back again.

"Look I'll go to class just let take this one last picture of you," Leo said finally as she pointed her phone at Mamo.

He smiled for her to get it over with and she quickly snapped the photo.

"What do you with all the images anyway?" Mamo asked curiously.

"I look at them and delete them later. I just use it to stall for time. Anyway let's go."

She opened her backpack and Mamo jumped into it. She quickly jumped off the roof and headed straight for class.

* * *

During lunch, Amber scolded Leo for being late.

"Leo you really need to stop coming late to class. You need to graduate just like everyone else. I don't wanna see you fail at life," Amber scolded angrily.

"I know, I know relax, I'll be on time tomorrow how about that?" Leo replied in hopes it would calm her down.

Apollo pointed at a boy who was usually staring in their direction and chuckled.

"Hey Amber your admirer is looking over here again," Apollo said jokingly.

"I have a lot of admirers okay but everyone already knows Jojo is my boyfriend so I don't care," Amber replied curtly.

Jojo shrugged casually.

Leo looked back and made eye contact with the guy staring in their general direction. He looked away almost immediately and rubbed the back of his head while he talked to his friends. She saw them giggling at him and she turned back around.

"Pfft weirdo," Leo muttered quietly.

"She's right about you missing class though," Jojo said finally.

"Yeah I get it thanks guys."

"You shouldn't screw your education over just because of a boy from four years ago," Apollo said indifferently.

Jojo and Amber gasped and she quickly smacked Apollo on the shoulder to correct him. Leo stood up immediately and left the cafeteria.

"Look what you did!" Amber barked.

"I'm not lying!"

"Yeah but you shouldn't say it like that," Jojo replied firmly.

* * *

Leo took a deep breath and stood in the hallway by herself. She quietly paced around the empty hallway and tried to get her thoughts together. She eventually leaned against the wall until the boy who was staring earlier approached her suddenly. She looked up at him, startled, by his sudden appearance.

"Jesus Christ!" She nearly shouted.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you," he said gently.

His voice was deep and the sound of it caught her off guard. She shrugged finally and turned her nose into the air.

"If you think I'm going to help you flirt with Amber then I'm letting you know now, she's taken. And you're definitely not the first guy to use me to get to her just because I'm her best friend," Leo said coldly.

"Oh geez you got me all wrong there sweetheart, I'm not interested in Amber. I actually wanted to talk to you but I'm terrible at approaching a girl who's distracted with her friends. I saw you get up and figured now was a good time. Unless you want to be left alone," he replied smoothly.

"Pfft you? Have trouble approaching women?"

She sized him up and he was attractive. His shaggy black hair fell over his face and he was unusually taller than the rest of the boys at school. He was thin and didn't seem to be awkward at all. There was an air of self confidence about him.

"Sure, everyone has trouble with something right? I'm not perfect," he replied.

"Well I'm not interested."

"In what? I just came to ask your name."

"Leo Aoyama. You got what you want now just go away."

"What? I didn't know this was one sided. You're not interested in my name? You're fine with leaving this as a stranger just asking your name?"

Leo couldn't help but falter at that charming smile on his face. His light-hearted joking tone of voice made her less cruel to him. She smirked a little bit and crossed her arms.

"Fine then what's your name?" She asked with a bit of a warmer voice.

"Usagi Mishima. Pleasure to finally meet you Miss Aoyama," he said smoothly.

Leo stared at him in silence. His blue eyes seemed more familiar now that she knew his name. She hesitated for a moment before finally saying something. The look in her eyes caught him off guard and he wasn't sure how to respond to that unique face expression she was giving him.

"Usagi," she muttered quietly.

"That's right."

Leo hugged herself and turned away.

"Well it was a pleasure meeting you but I have to go," she replied quickly as she walked off in a hurry.

She left him standing there confused by her response. He scratched his chin quietly trying to understand what he did wrong.

* * *

Leo walked home by herself after insisting to her friends that she rather be alone. Mamo sat on her shoulder and went over the day with her.

"And there's homework to be done and with a little motivation you should be able to finish it before dinner."

He noticed she was unusually quiet. He tilted his curiously at her before asking her what was wrong. Seeing the look on her face he deducted it was probably better to ask later. She had suddenly come to a halt and he wondered what stopped her in her tracks. He looked up with her and there was an unfamiliar but somehow familiar face standing in front of her.

"Leo Aoyama?" The tall man asked.

"The one and only."

"Pleasure. My name is Pai. I'm a close friend of Amber and Yogurt's fathers."

"I've heard of you but never met you."

"Well glad we're getting acquainted now. I have something for you."

He handed her a business card. She stared at it quietly.

"Conservation Mew Mew."

Leo squinted her eyes at it and shook her head.

"Why do I need this?" She asked angrily.

"Calm down you haven't even let me explain this yet. Conservation Mew Mew is a project that I've agreed to join with your former familiar, Ryou Shirogane and Keiichiro Akasaka."

Those names were like nails on a chalkboard for her. She winced upon hearing them and Mamo immediately lit up hearing them.

"Shit, what do they want from me now?" She asked.

"Nothing more than your cooperation and participation in this effort. We're trying to recover all the data lost from four years ago after the cafe was destroyed along with all the hard work of Project Mew Mew. I understand that if we can gather all the former Mews and have them join it'll be easier to restore the information and data lost. And if I can understand right, your little robot knows the entire history of this said project."

Leo held Mamo protectively and she shook her head.

"I'm done being a Mew Mew and I don't want anything more to do with it. It's only caused me pain and I prefer to leave it all behind thanks," she replied curtly.

Pai grabbed her arm before she could walk off.

"If I'm not mistaken I'm sure you haven't left any of it behind and that's why you're so defensive about this. My recommendation is that you come see us on Saturday. The location is on the card."

Leo snatched her arm away from him and she hurried home. She had no plans to visit them and she certainly didn't want to.

* * *

Leo rolled over in her bed the next night and stared at the business card.

"You should go tomorrow," Mamo said as he climbed over her shoulder.

"Why?" She asked in a whisper.

"Well it might be a benefit for the world. Besides that was a lot information we lost that day. You know… after Cafe Mew Mew got obliterated."

"I really just want to put everything behind me and move on."

"Well maybe this will give you the closure you're looking for."

Leo turned her head to look at Mamo. He gave her a sincere expression and she sighed tiredly.

"You always want to me to get in some kinda mess don't you?"

"Hey I'm just trying to help," Mamo replied firmly.

She hung her head over shoulders feeling defeated. She let out a tired sigh and finally responded.

"Alright fine. I'll go tomorrow but only because you want me to," she said tiredly.

"Thank you."


	2. Restoration

Leo had words ready for Shirogane. She had her fists clenched and a scowl on her face as she marched down the sidewalk ready to lay into him. Mamo rocked back and forth in her moving backpack. He poked his head out and called out to her.

"Think you could stomp a little less and walk a little bit more?" Mamo asked finally.

Leo stopped and offered for him to ride on her shoulder. He shook his head and sunk back into her bag.

"No, I'd just prefer it better if you didn't stomp," Mamo replied curtly.

"We're almost there you big baby. Geez."

Mamo rolled his eyes and relaxed. Leo finally stopped at a small research lab. She took a deep breath and opened the door. The inside of the lab was cool and Leo noticed Dannie, her former friend, sitting at the front desk. Leo tilted her head curiously and walked up to the desk.

"Where's you dad?" Leo asked frankly.

"Long time no see. Hello to you too Leo. Have you been well? I see you cut your hair short. Are you going for like a bad girl look? I mean it doesn't look bad or anything I just wanna know what the motive is," Dannie replied sweetly.

"I've been keeping it short. So what's going on here?"

"Ah, I have agreed to help restore Project Mew Mew with my father. It'd be a huge honor to assist in it. Recently we had a new intern and she's been such a large help in this whole thing."

"So what am I needed for?"

"Your DNA, silly. How can restore everything if we don't have DNA samples of the previous Mew Mews. If you can, see if Yogurt and Amber would come possibly tomorrow or later today as well. It'd make things easier."

Leo leaned up against the marble counter and let out a tired sigh. Dannie awkwardly twiddled her thumbs and she finally pushed her hair out of her face.

"Listen Leo, I'm sorry about how I treated you in the past," she muttered finally.

Leo looked over at her and shook her head.

"Water off a duck's back. I'm not worried about it," she replied indifferently.

"I mean I should've been a better teammate and I know the whole thing was hard for you especially with you and Rabbit falling in love…"

Leo bit her lip and accidentally shouted at Dannie.

"I said it was fine!"

Her loud voice startled poor Dannie. Dannie stared at her with shocked and questioning eyes. Leo faltered and immediately apologized for her outburst.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. Just point me in the direction of Shirogane please and I'll quickly see myself out," Leo said as her apologetic voice quivered a bit.

"Down the hall and door to your left."

Leo thanked her before retreating. When she reached the hallway she found Ryou Shirogane heading in her general direction.

"I thought I recognized that voice. Heard you all the way from back here," Ryou said as he opened his arms and welcomed her.

"Pfft don't act like you're happy to see me, Shirogane. What do you want from me?" Leo asked bluntly.

"Wow. The eyeliner, the short hair, and the demanding voice. Are you going for like an angsty teenager look?"

"Ha ha. No. I'm here. Explain yourself."

Ryou beckoned her to follow him. She took a deep breath and went with him. He opened the door for her and she found Pai and Keiichiro having a conversation with each other. Pai looked up and a smile edged his usually stoic lips when he saw her.

"I see you came," he said as he stood up.

"Yeah. I'm here," Leo replied quietly.

A meek looking girl came from behind one of the computers and rushed over to Leo. She was eager to shake her hand.

"This is our new intern, Cho Fuji. She's a close friend to Anastasia and Dannie," Ryou said as he presented her with open arms.

Cho bowed quickly and smiled at Leo.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Miss Aoyama. I've heard so much about your bravery and sacrifice I just had to meet you!" She said she pushed her light brown hair from her face.

"Y-yeah, nice to meet you."

"I can't wait to study your DNA! What's your animal? Please tell me!"

Though meek looking she certainly wasn't. Leo stepped away from her uncomfortably and looked at Ryou. He understood how she was feeling and decided to help her.

"Now Cho, why don't you finish with the spreadsheets I'm having you work on," he said gently.

She lit up and quickly headed back to her seat. Leo relaxed a bit and finally she turned to Ryou and sighed.

"I understand you're attempting to revive this madness from the grave. Why not just leave it and keep it laid to rest?" Leo asked quietly.

"Because I've been having nightmares lately about a future threat and I just can't shake the feeling that something awful is going to happen. You understand right? Don't you ever just get chills in the back of your neck?"

Leo took a step back and rubbed her arm. She nodded slowly and Ryou placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I think I should've told you four years back when I first met you but… when we were finally testing Project Mew Mew we needed a test subject and I chose myself."

Leo looked up at him and Ryou averted his eyes. She bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably.

"If you really feel that way then I'll help but I'm hoping to not have to fight again," Leo replied finally.

Ryou nodded at her and escorted her to his desk. He sat her down and placed her arm on the table.

"Do you mind if I take blood from you?" he asked gently.

"Whatever you want to get done, I suggest you do it while I'm still here," Leo replied indifferently.

Ryou understood her approval and grabbed a needle. He wiped her arm with an alcohol wipe to clean the area first.

"It'd help a lot if you could get Amber and Yogurt to come. I know you three still see each other," Ryou said carefully.

"I'll talk to them but I'm not making any promises I can't keep."

"Very well. If you could return and help out around the place that'd help too."

Leo's shoulders slumped and she shook her head.

"I rather not."

"Suit yourself. Alright I'm all done. Let me just clean up your arm."

Leo watched him place a band-aid on the injection site. She stood up from her seat and gave him a quick bow.

"Leo, before you go, I want you to know that I'll be calling you often. Just so it doesn't take you by surprise," Ryou said after her.

She looked at him and quickly ran out of the lab. Pai shook his head and crossed his arms.

"She's going to eventually come around," he muttered.

"Yes I know but trauma is one hell of a drug."

* * *

Leo headed out and tried to get as far away from the lab as she could. Mamo wanted to ask her what was wrong but he held his tongue. She stopped for a moment and held her hands close to her chest before looking back. She took a deep breath and went to continue on her way when she noticed a familiar face ahead.

"Oh God," she muttered when she saw Usagi ahead.

He noticed her and waved at her. She went to turn a different direction but he called out to her.

"Leo!" He called to her.

She stopped in her tracks and he finally caught up to her.

"Hey what are the chances huh? I was heading out to pick something up for lunch. You wanna come with me?" he asked sweetly.

"I don't have any money. Enjoy your lunch," she replied curtly.

"No worries, I'll pay for you. How's sushi?"

Leo was about to turn down his offer when she felt her stomach growl. She winced and finally decided food didn't sound so bad at the moment. She nodded and thanked him for the offer.

"Well come on then," he said gently.

Leo reluctantly followed him and he looked at her with gentle, caring eyes.

"I love you hair by the way. I always thought it was cute on you," he said in a honey sweet voice.

Leo played with her bangs and her heartbeat sped up.

"T-thanks…," she replied nervously.

"Do you just not like it when your hair touches the back of your neck?" he asked jokingly.

"No I sorta just didn't want to keep it long. It's a long story okay."

"No that's fine. I was joking."

Leo looked up at him and he gave her a soft charming smile. She looked the other way and she crossed her arms. She wanted to understand why this boy was interested in her.

"Why do you like me?" She asked frankly.

Usagi stopped walking and faced her. He could see she was a bit shaken up. He chuckled warmly and gave her a very soft smile.

"Why not?" he asked finally after some silence.

"You're weird…," she muttered.

"Normal is boring don't you agree? Besides I can't help my feelings sometimes. It just feels right to like you. Am I answering your question or should I talk about it more?"

"No it's fine I'll accept that answer for now. It's just weird. I haven't had anyone have a crush on me in a long time that's all."

"If I make you uncomfortable you can always let me know and I'll leave you alone."

Leo giggled a bit and she let out a defeated sigh.

"I'll let you know after lunch."

"Ah smart girl. Hey I don't mind if you're using me for food. I offered anyway."

Leo looked up at him with a warm smile on her face. She liked his humor. She followed him when he continued to walk. She walked a bit closer to him and they made small talk the rest of the way.

* * *

They sat together at the park with their food and Leo ate her sushi with a happy smile on her face. Usagi pointed out several animals during their meal and she agreed with any cute compliments he had ready to toss the local wildlife's way. She would admire him and take in all of his features each time he was busy looking in another direction. She hated that he was as charming as he was. When he spoke shivers went down her spine and his eyes… his eyes were her favorite and yet her least favorite thing about him. She loved and hated them at the same time. She only knew one other boy with those same color eyes and each time Usagi looked at her it felt as though an emotional wound that was attempting to heal just ripped open again.

"And my favorite color is purple, how about you?" Usagi asked as he turned in her direction.

"What are the chances…," Leo muttered quietly.

"Is that your favorite color too?" he asked happily.

"No, it's pink. I just mean… there was one other guy I knew who liked purple too."

"Ah I see. Are you close friends?"

"No… not at all. It's complicated and I rather not talk about it."

"That's okay. I won't press you to."

Leo appreciated his gentle personality. He was very careful with every word he said to her. He handled her with care and she noticed it.

"Thank you."

"It's no trouble. I have a ton of homework that I haven't touched yet. I feel bad but I'll end up putting it off till tomorrow you know."

"I do that too," Leo replied with a giggle.

"Yeah I'm a huge procrastinator. The only thing that gets me through the day sometimes is painting. What's your hobby?"

"I recently got into photography."

"Oh nice. Maybe we should team up. Take a picture of something and I can try to paint it huh."

Leo pulled out her phone and jokingly snapped a picture of Usagi immediately.

"What's your number so I can send this to you," Leo said with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Hey I wasn't ready. You should've let me know first so I could smile for the camera."

"I just captured you in the most natural way I could. If you smiled at the camera it would've looked forced and weird."

"Is that how you like your photos?"

"No, I'm just messing with you. I just thought it'd be funny."

Usagi laughed and they both exchanged numbers. Leo quickly sent him the photo and he only chuckled at it. He expressed how much he hated it and she continued laughing with him about it.


	3. That Boy

Leo arrived to school on time on a cold Monday morning. Her friends were very pleased with her attendance and they congratulated her on her punctuality.

"Well thank you but I came fairly early for a reason today guys. Amber, Shirogane is trying to restore all the information and history of Project Mew Mew and would like some DNA samples from you. He plans to draw blood from you like he did to me. We can tell Yogurt after school," Leo said as she sat down with her friends.

"What!? I mean what? That's great news but still I'm surprised he just doesn't have the cafe rebuilt," Amber replied in shock.

"With what money? He invested it all into that shitty little lab and the amount of expensive equipment in it," Leo said with her arms crossed.

"Um with my money? I'll talk to my parents tonight and see what we can do. Shirogane is just stubborn that's all."

Jojo and Apollo just quietly listened to the girls' conversation. Apollo decided to speak up and see if he could add to the conversation.

"Maybe I can help? If it's information you need to collect I'm really good at digging into things. How else do you think Fox found out about your pasts?"

The girls all looked at their usually quietly sarcastic friend. Both felt violated but he peaked their interest.

"I'll take you up on that but stop stalking us," Leo replied firmly.

"I wasn't stalking. Anyway I don't have anything else to do and I would love to accompany you when seeing Yogurt."

"Alright. What about you Jojo?" Leo asked as she turned towards him.

"I'll tag along but there's not much I can honestly contribute. I'm really good at being morale support though."

"Yes you are," Leo replied with a sweet smile on her face.

They continued talking with each other before they were approached by Usagi.

"Good morning Leo," he said casually with a sweet smile on his face.

All four stopped talking and turned in his direction. Leo couldn't help smirking back. She stood up from the her seat and Usagi felt less uncomfortable when he saw the response he received from her.

"Good morning," she replied as she grabbed her backpack.

"Can I walk you to class?" he asked in a charming voice.

"Is water wet?"

"That depends if water thinks it's wet but from our perspective I'll say yes."

"You're an idiot."

He chuckled warmly and they both walked off together. Amber and the two other guys were shocked by the entire exchange.

"Is she… is she actually flirting!?" Amber asked herself in disbelief.

"That's what it looked like, I hope that's what was happening," Jojo replied with a hopeful grin.

"So you think she's over Rabbit?" Apollo asked bluntly.

"You need to… ugh no I don't think that she is," Amber nearly scolded him for his frank words.

"Well maybe there's hope I guess but I don't assume anything but the worst."

"I know."

* * *

Leo and Usagi walked through the hallways and she tried her hardest not to show she was even remotely interested in his character.

"And hey I made you something," Usagi said as he stopped. She watched him place his backpack down and he pulled out a small canvas. He handed it to her and she immediately gasped.

"No way! You did this!?" Leo exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah I told you if you take the picture I'll paint it."

"Jesus Christ it looks so real! You did this in one day!? Wow you're so talented!"

"Yeah but I didn't finish my math homework."

Leo giggled and she held onto the canvas. She loved that he actually painted her bad picture of him. She joked with him for a bit before she started examining the canvas.

"Hey did you sign it?" She asked as she looked for his signature.

"I usually forget to. Check the back," he replied.

"Sign it then, here I have a pen," Leo handed him the canvas while she searched for a pen in her bag. Mamo handed her the closest pen to him and she quietly thanked him before zipping her bag up.

She handed Usagi the pen and he leaned up the wall to sign it. He handed it back to her and she stared at the small message he put on the back of it.

"To the cool girl with the cute hair and the fierce eyes - Usagi Mishimoto."

"Oh my god you're so…," she paused for a moment to find the right word to describe this unique boy.

"Weird?"

"Yes but that's not the word I was looking for."

"Ruggedly handsome? Charming? Stunningly intelligent?"

She couldn't help smiling at his obvious joking tone of voice.

"No to all three of those things you goof. I was thinking more like eccentric."

"Ah that is a good one. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Huh well I'm seventeen. I thought you and I were the same age."

"I'm not in any of your classes why would you think that?"

"You have a dignified nature about you. I like it. That's all."

Leo hugged the canvas to her chest. Usagi noticed this and he leaned up against the wall feeling proud that she loved it.

"Thank you," Leo said shyly as she looked at her feet.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it."

"You really didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

Leo looked up at him and his charming blue eyes made her heart skip a beat. She looked away quickly and tried to shake off the feeling. She felt vulnerable and took a deep breath.

"Well I should get to class now and you should too. I'll see you later probably," she said as she quickly started to walk off.

Usagi didn't chase her. He let her go and gave her a simple wave goodbye. She was almost surprised he didn't follow her like a puppy. She appreciated his gentle mannerisms. She saw Amber ahead and she quickly caught up to her popular friend. The two girls walked together to their first class and started gossiping about a few students in the school.

* * *

After school, Amber and Leo had decided to see Yogurt. The guys tagged along and walked beside each girl. Apollo was the most excited out of all of them to see her. She was the love of his life and he seemed to glow every time he saw her.

"You think we'll be inconveniencing her?" Amber asked.

"Yogurt? Pfft no. She's way too much of a sweetheart to think of any of us as a nuisance," Apollo replied curtly.

"He's right. Yogurt doesn't get inconvenienced. Anyway she'll be happy to see us," Leo agreed.

"Speaking of which, who's the guy you walked off with this morning?" Jojo asked calmly.

"He's no one special. Just a guy who thinks I'm cute for some reason," Leo replied frankly.

Amber rolled her eyes and chuckled. She teasingly poked Leo's shoulder.

"I don't know Leo, you seemed pretty interested if you ask me. If you didn't care about him you wouldn't have walked with him."

"Oh please. Things like this happen all the time. It's no big deal."

"Leo you haven't spoken to anyone new for years and now suddenly you're hanging out with a new person? Who also happens to be a cute guy… and is interested in you. C'mon," Jojo interjected.

Leo glared at him before turning her head in denial. She knew she wasn't interested in Usagi romantically but he was a fairly interesting person to talk to. He had a unique and kind of fun personality. She found a little bit of pleasure in talking to this boy.

"He's just a friendly person who also happens to be kinda cool. There's nothing happening with us. Geez you guys are so hopeful that I'll just throw my panties on any guy that happens to think I'm cute."

"Oh please no one said that Leo. No one wants you to take your panties off for anyone. I just think it'd be healthier if you would let go and just live life and find someone cool to be with. You've distanced yourself from everyone so much that it's concerning. The Leo I know is outgoing and friendly and stubborn and likes to have fun. Not some sad pathetic girl that hates everyone and everything. Besides wasn't that Amber's thing before she met you?" Jojo stated with concern in his voice.

Leo sighed and Amber giggled only a little and immediately agreed with him. Leo saw that her friends were obviously concerned about her and only wanted her to be happy again. She tried to keep her head up and stand her ground.

"I'm fine and anyway the fact that you assume that I need a boyfriend to be happy is absolutely ridiculous," she said with her arms crossed.

"Well maybe not but it seems like that's the root of your problem," Apollo curtly responded in his usual stoic voice.

He shrugged his shoulders and he received a death glare from Leo.

With an exasperated sigh she calmly replied, "well it's not."

Their conversation halted when they arrived at Yogurt's house. They were just in time to see the girl in question walking up to her front door. She heard their footsteps and turned around to see who it was and in the drop of a dime she grew excited and ran up to her friends.

"Hey guys!" Her lisp made her happy face more adorable than it could be.

Apollo walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. Leo took a step back and watched them quietly. She thought it was sweet how easily he melted over her. There was always something refreshing about seeing them together and it warmed Leo's heart every single time. To think Apollo, a very stoic and sometimes cold-hearted guy, could so easily falter and melt over such a happy careless girl. She could only think that maybe even the coldest hearts could be warmed by something or even someone.

"I missed you so much since I last saw you," Apollo said gently.

"Awww me too. I'm glad you're here."

"Do you wanna go out later tonight?"

"Isn't it a bit cold lately?"

"But I can keep you warm."

Yogurt giggled and he hugged her tighter. Everyone thought it was sweet but Leo had to interrupt their reunion.

"Sorry if I'm suddenly imposing but we also came here to let you know that Shirogane is attempting to reclaim Project Mew Mew's glory. He has this crappy lab and is collecting our DNA for the good of "Mew Mew History" or whatever."

Yogurt took a moment to process what Leo had said. She soon smiled wider and grew excited by this news.

"That's great news! Us Mew Mews fighting side by side again!" Yogurt exclaimed happily.

"I don't think so," Leo retorted.

"Leo's just a bitter tiger but she'll get it over it one day," Amber said jokingly.

"No that's okay. We should go now. I'd like to see Shirogane again," Yogurt replied.

They agreed with Yogurt and it seemed it'd be much easier to just get it over with. The sooner the better Leo thought to herself. After deciding to go, they set off to the lab.

* * *

Upon arriving there they were immediately greeted by Cho. Her bouncing hair and happy enthusiastic face caught everyone but Yogurt off guard.

"Good afternoon everyone! If you don't know me yet my name is Cho and I'm a close friend of Anastasia and Dannie. And I have had the pleasure of already meeting the beautiful Leo Aoyama here. Oh I've studied your DNA so closely and it's absolutely remarkable. It's so odd how genetic mutation just works so well with your DNA structure. When I explained to Shirogane about my love for science and microbiology he gave me the opportunity to be here. It's so secretive and I feel so lucky to meet you ladies under these circumstances."

Cho spoke and led them to the lab all at once. Leo was disgusted by her. There something about Cho that absolutely bothered her but she couldn't put her finger on it. Cho looked at Leo with her usual happy face.

"You're so beautiful," Cho said sweetly.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me," Leo replied curtly.

"Oh please I wasn't just talking about you on the outside. I was talking about your genetic makeup. A tiger is a such a powerful animal."

Leo shifted uncomfortably and Jojo stood next her protectively.

"Leo doesn't necessarily take comments like that well but we appreciate the thought," Jojo said as he took a step in front of Leo.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to make her uncomfortable but someone like Leo I'd expect her to tell me herself."

"You're making me uncomfortable and I want you to shut up and stop talking to me," Leo replied bluntly.

Cho looked away and tried not to show she was hurt by Leo's response. She gathered her confidence and looked at Amber and Yogurt.

"Right then let me get Shirogane for you guys."

She walked off in a hurry and left everyone standing around waiting.

"This is my second time meeting her and I absolutely can't stand her," Leo uttered.

"Me neither. She makes the hair on the back of neck rise. There's something wrong with her. And her obsession with you is freaking weird," Apollo replied quietly.

"I think she's nice," Yogurt said with a sweet smile on her face.

"No one can do any wrong in your eyes huh?" Leo asked as she turned towards Yogurt.

She nodded and Leo shook her head in disappointment.

"Maybe we should give her a chance. She's probably just really excited for this opportunity and can't believe any of this is really happening," Amber replied hopefully.

"I'm amazed you're trying to give her some wiggle room."

"You don't even know her."

"Are you serious? She studied my freaking DNA and then attempted to discuss it with me. That's not only really creepy for someone I hardly know but it also rubs me off the wrong way. It's actually disgusting."

"She's a good friend of Dannie and Anastasia so she must not be a bad person and if Shirogane has welcomed her in helping restoring Project Mew Mew then I don't see anything wrong with her. She deserves a chance."

"Fine but you're not the one she's trying to clone."

Amber laughed and tried to shake off Leo's comment. Shirogane walked in to greet the group. He gave each teenager a nod before escorting them to his office.

"Glad to see you all here ladies. I hope you don't mind if I take blood from you. Leo, your sample was misplaced so I'll have to do it again," Shirogane explained.

"Disgusting. Did you ask Cho where it went?" Leo asked sarcastically.

"What?"

"Oh she didn't tell you how she obsessed over my genetic structure?"

"I asked her to look into it. I was the one who misplaced it."

Leo rolled her eyes and went with it. She couldn't shake the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. She sat down and Ryou place her arm on the table.

"Okay Leo, I'm sorry you have to go through this again," Ryou said as he pulled out a needle.

"I've been through worse pain, it's no big deal."

"Right. I know but still."

"What's with Pai anyway? Why did he suddenly surface?"

Ryou leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and tried to think of a way to begin his story. Leo waited and looked over her shoulder.

"You look conflicted," she said quietly.

"Well Pai expressed his boredom in not having a purpose. I extended a hand to him to ask for his help since he's known for being very intelligent and seasoned in research. My only conflict is he used to have a crush on my wife and…"

"Disgusting."

Ryou stopped at Leo's comment and scoffed in spite of himself. She smiled at him and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm kidding. It's obvious he respects you and all of your work. His presence is just a strange one that's all. I find it strange that he just showed up one day asking me to contribute."

"I believe he has good intentions."

"So do I. I'm not worried about it."

Ryou gave Leo a gentle smile.

* * *

After finally leaving the lab, Cho had chased after the group of five with Anastasia and Dannie behind her.

"Hey where are you guys headed? We were wondering if you all wanted to go out to eat hangout since we haven't done something like that in a while," Anastasia asked sweetly.

"Sorry Yogurt and I were gonna go out later tonight. I hope you don't mind," Apollo replied.

"Mmhm sorry. Maybe next time?" Yogurt was sympathetic and sorry but she rather have been with her boyfriend.

"That's okay what about you too? Going on a hot date as well?" Anastasia asked turning towards Jojo and Amber.

"I didn't plan on it but it actually might be nice," Amber replied and glanced at Jojo looking for approval.

"Sure," Jojo responded quietly.

Anastasia grabbed Leo's arm and smiled.

"Looks like it's a single girls' night out then! Bye guys," she said with a wide smile.

They parted ways and Leo walked beside the other girls uncomfortably. She knew what was coming the moment she agreed to go with them. They joked around and told inside jokes to each and as much as Leo adored her teammates, Dannie and Anastasia, she couldn't relate to them other than when it came to being a Mew Mew. She walked uncomfortably behind them and tried her hardest to take part in conversation if she saw an opportunity to. She wanted to make an excuse that she had a stomach ache and wanted to go home but it was true that she hadn't seen them in a while and she was also hungry.

It wasn't long before her saving grace came for her. She looked up to see the unexpected. It was Usagi. He seemed to saying goodbye and parting from his friends. She wanted to call out to him but decided against it.

"Leo!" His angelic voice had grabbed on to her hopes and rescued her from an awkward night with Cho.

"Usagi, hi how's it going?" Leo asked as she came to a halt.

The other three girls stopped and greeted the man before them. He gave them an awkward wave before returning to his conversation with the object of interest.

"Not much just came back from the gym with my friends."

"Wow look at you. What a show off."

"Does sitting on the pool bench and sketching the entire time count as an extreme workout?"

Leo giggled and nodded her head before poking his chest. She then rubbed her chin with a curious and questioning look in her eyes.

"Gee I don't know that's a good question huh? Considering how hard your chest is," she replied teasingly.

"Bones are pretty hard aren't they. I see you're with your friends. I'll see you later then?"

Before Leo could respond Dannie and Anastasia teased her.

"Aw go home with him Leo, he's a cutie you deserve it," Anastasia said playfully.

"Yeah go have fun. But not too much fun," Dannie agreed before winking at her.

Leo felt her face heat up before turning towards Usagi.

"Well…," she paused as she stepped towards him.

"Oh um," he hesitated for a moment before the three girls cooed goodbye at them and left them, giggling.

"I actually just wanted to head home," Leo muttered awkwardly.

"Me too. I can walk you home if you want."

"Sure that'd be nice."

Usagi smiled and she lead the way. They both spoke to each other about light-hearted things and had weird discussions about school. Leo never wanted to admit that she thought maybe Usagi was really cute. He saw her holding herself and rubbing her arms from the cold of the evening. He slipped off his jacket and placed it gently around her shoulders.

"You looked cold, I hope you don't mind," he said sweetly.

"Thank you, you're so sweet. Do you treat every girl like this?" Leo asked quietly as her hands held on to the jacket tightly.

"Like what?"

"You're so gentlemanly and nice to me. I feel like you're like this every girl."

"No. If I was like this to every girl word would get around the school and I'd be known as your neighborhood escort."

Leo chuckled and Usagi, feeling confident, put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to warm her up. Leo sighed and took in the soft scent of his cologne. Only for now was this okay she thought to herself. It was after all cold and the weather would possibly start to get rainy since it was the beginning of March. She welcomed his touch but only this one time. She leaned her head on his chest and he gave her comfort.

"You're adorable," he whispered quietly to her.

"Am I really?" She replied softly.

"Of course."

They walked the rest of the in silence and once they finally reached Leo's home, they stood in front of the gate facing each other.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then. At school I mean," Usagi said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow."

Usagi took a deep breath and grabbed her hands. She looked at the ground her face went red in embarrassment. She remembered she was wearing his jacket and she quickly scrambled to take it off.

"Your jacket," she said worriedly.

"Keep it. I have a ton more at home," he replied with his usual sweet smile.

"I c-couldn't. I mean it's yours."

"It's fine."

Before she could protest he leaned towards her and placed his lips on her forehead. The sweet gesture caught her off guard and she couldn't help feeling vulnerable. She casted her head down and stared at the ground.

"Hey I'll see you tomorrow. Don't worry about the jacket I want you to have it."

"Usagi… you don't know anything about me and I'm not ready to jump into a relationship. You should just quit while you're ahead and leave me alone. I can't make you a happy person," Leo said as she gripped the jacket tightly.

"Hey, hey, hey calm down. You're okay. I didn't ask if you were ready or not. We'll just go really slow then okay?" He assured her very gently and calmly.

"Slow? I don't know why you want to try with me. I'm letting you know this is a lost cause."

Usagi placed his hands on her cheeks and gave her a sweet, affectionate smile.

"We can just be friends then," he said finally.

"And you're okay with that? Even though you like me? I don't want this to be a painful thing for either of us. I don't think we should even be friends. I don't want to hurt you or your feelings."

"Again, calm down. It sounds like you're afraid and I'm okay with that. Just go have your dinner and get some sleep and we can talk about it tomorrow okay. And please, keep the jacket. Good night, Leo."

He ruffled up her hair and parted from her. She watched him walk away and she teared up. She couldn't understand why he wanted to try. She took a small breath and made her way into her house.

"Good evening, how was school? You were out for a bit weren't you? Hanging out with your friends?" Ichigo asked sweetly.

Leo looked up at her mother and nodded. She took a seat at the dinner table and she zipped up the jacket Usagi gave her. It smelled like him. She admired the scent and she closed her eyes and remembered the feeling she got when he held her.

* * *

That night Leo had just gotten out of the shower and Mamo greeted her when she sat on her bed to dry her hair. She quickly slipped on her underwear and strapped on her bra before her eyes wandered over to Usagi's jacket. It was a plain black jacket and with a hood. It was soft and warm and the only thing that made it so unique is that it smelled and belonged to him. She pushed her pajamas aside and decided she'd wear the jacket to bed instead.

"Aw you like him," Mamo teased sweetly.

"Shut up, Mamo," Leo whispered as she finally climbed into bed to rest.

"Hey I know when you like someone, okay. I've seen you have a crush on a guy before. You like that boy don't you?"

Leo didn't reply. Mamo climbed over her to find her sound asleep. He crawled under blanket and snuggled up to her side before powering down to sleep mode.


	4. The Case of the Missing DNA

The following morning Leo headed to school wearing Usagi's jacket. She loved the warmth and smell. She would never tell anyone else and before she left her home she hung up the picture he painted for her. Mamo knew she liked him and he thought it was adorable.

She saw her friends and waved at them with a wry smile on her face. Amber ran up to greet her.

"Good morning, how are you?" Amber said as she noticed Leo's new article of clothing.

"Geez, tired. You?" Leo asked as she took a seat at a nearby bench.

"I'm doing fine. Where did you get the jacket?"

"Oh um… a friend gave it to me. It's just nice and comfortable that's all."

"The guy who greeted you yesterday morning? The tall cute one?" Amber asked playfully.

"Well look I mean yes… but also I told him not to but he was really determined to let me have it so…"

"Do you like him?"

"God no, of course not."

Leo crossed her arms and stared at the ground. Amber shook her head in disappointment knowing her friend was denying her feelings. She looked over Leo's shoulder to see the man in question quickly approaching her. Jojo and Apollo said nothing and quietly waited to see how this scene would play out. Amber also kept her mouth shut and waited.

"Leo," Usagi said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She jerked her head up at him and sighed.

"Jesus you scared me," she replied.

"Mind if I walk you to class?"

Leo stood up and grabbed her backpack. She looked at her friends and they only smiled at her and urged her to go. She gave them a wry smile and followed Usagi. Amber turned towards Jojo and Apollo.

"She likes him," Amber said curtly.

"She can't deny that she does," Jojo replied matter-of-factly.

Apollo quietly agreed.

* * *

Leo and Usagi walked together towards the back of the school. They found a quiet place and with no other students around. She leaned up against the building while he stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

"Is it warm enough?" Usagi asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes…," she peeped quietly.

"I'm sorry about last night. Did I seem too pushy?"

"No you handled it well, I'm just… I don't want you to get hurt because I can't be the person you want or need in a relationship. I just vowed to never love again and then you show up with open arms and treating me so well I don't know what to do."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you vow to never love again?"

Leo crossed her arms and looked at the ground.

"It's a long story okay and I don't know how to explain it to you. But to summarize it I fell in love with a boy and it was my first love and it caused nothing but pain and suffering for me and him both. It was just never meant to be. I'll never see him again and I wish I could."

"Did it hurt that much?"

"You have no idea. Usagi I just can't be that girl. You should be spending your time with someone who can make you feel special and loved and can laugh with you. You know someone who isn't... broken."

Usagi shifted and reached his hand towards her cheek. She closed her eyes and he rubbed it affectionately.

"Can I make an observation?" He asked gently as he stepped closer to her.

"Sure."

"It sounds like you're afraid of love. Not that you're worried about my well-being but more so yours and it's okay if you're defensive about it. We haven't known each other long so I'm not asking you to jump into something with me. I just figured it'd be fine if we got know each other more and got closer. Though it's your call. If I'm making you uncomfortable and I'm hurting you more let me know and I'll leave you alone."

Leo averted her eyes and she wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth or lie to him. She was hoping after everything she said it would be up to him to go but he gave her the choice if he stays or leaves. She bit her lip and looked up at him.

"Usagi…," she paused for a moment before stepping closer to him.

She wrapped her arms around him and sighed into his shirt. He returned her hug and she took in his scent.

"I'll be a ton of trouble," she muttered into his shirt.

"I like a challenge."

"You know what you're getting into just so you know. I'm not like other girls."

"Who said I wanted you to be like other girls?"

"You're so strange."

Usagi hugged her tighter and she somehow felt safe and secure in his arms. She felt as though nothing in the world could hurt her. There was a protective aura about him. He was so gentle and kind to her. She wanted to stay wrapped up in his arms forever.

* * *

Later that evening the ladies were called in by Ryou to discuss a very important subject.

"Well ladies I have some bad news. The DNA samples have all gone missing again for some reason. So I need your blood again."

"Again!? You trying to kill us!?" Leo shrieked.

"Where do you usually keep this stuff?" Amber asked quickly in effort to avoid the needle again.

Cho took a step forward.

"Maybe I can help. I know it's usually in your office right?" Cho asked she turned towards Ryou.

"Yes. But I can't seem to ever remember where I placed them. I just need to get these things done but it seems lately I get really sleepy and blackout. I'm sorry girls," Ryou replied as he rubbed his head.

"Well in any case I don't think you have to worry about it. As long these women are alive nothing is lost. Right ladies?" Keiichiro interjected with his usual sweet voice.

The girls all agreed with him. Cho looked at Keiichiro.

"Mr. Akasaka, when do I get to become a Mew Mew? I'd like a really cool animal," Cho asked excitedly as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"You? A Mew Mew? For what? We don't have a threat and there's no reason to even transform at the moment," Leo replied frankly.

"Well listen Leo I just want to be included in the group too. It's not fair you all get cool powers and I just have to be normal."

"Why do you want to be a horrible freak? Have you seen the scars I sustained in battle!? They're not gorgeous or fun. My fucking shoulder here and my stomach. Have you seen this before!?" Leo lifted up her shirt to show the scar on her stomach. It was large and it was obvious a sword caused both scars.

"W-well I want to be included!" Cho nearly shouted.

"You're an ignorant piece of shit and I absolutely can't stand you! Do you even know the trauma and pain I went through being a Mew Mew!? Do you even know what war looks like? You're a child!"

"Alright girls calm down this energy won't solve anything. Leo have a seat. Cho, please, we can't fulfill any of your wishes right now," Ryou said in attempt to calm them down.

Cho stormed off and Leo took a seat. She wasn't going to apologize for her actions. She crossed her arms and shook her head in disappointment.

"Listen I'll continue to look for the samples but if by next week I can't find them I hope you don't mind me taking more blood from you girls," Ryou said as if to conclude the meeting. He ran off to find Cho and calm her down.

The five girls gathered around each other to discuss what had happened.

"You were really hard on her, Leo, there were nicer ways to put it," Anastasia said in a whisper.

"I don't care. Being a Mew Mew isn't just a fun thing to do. I'm not going to let her belittle the horrible shit I went through by expressing being a Mew Mew as something 'cool' and 'fun' and 'different.' My scars were earned and I didn't sit here and fight in honor of my parents and this planet just for some girl to say 'when do I get to be a Mew Mew?' in front of my face," Leo replied angrily.

"We all went through horrible shit and as much as I love Cho, I'm with Leo on this one," Dannie added.

"Yeah but she didn't mean anything by it. She just wants to feel like she belongs. C'mon we all know that feeling," Amber said softly.

"Since when is it socially acceptable to transform into a mutant human animal in a fucking dress?" Leo asked with blatant sarcasm.

"It isn't but she likes us and wants to join us. She wants to be included."

"Why?"

Before anyone could respond Leo stood up and walked out of the laboratory. She decided she wasn't going to spend a second longer listening to Amber and Anastasia rationalize Cho's wants. She headed straight home.

* * *

A week had passed and the girls carried on, business as usual. Leo took a seat on the school roof with Usagi next to her. She showed him how she took pictures of the sunrise and he admired how beautiful she looked when she talked about things that interested her.

"See it's not that I actually care about the pictures or even save them. I just like how it feels to physically capture the moment and then have a choice to get rid of it later. I swear I take a about a hundred pictures of the same thing and end up only keeping one or two. I dunno I guess it calms me down," Leo ran her mouth and continued to talk about it.

Usagi could listen to her talk forever. He felt special being able to spend time with her so early. He loved the color of her eyes. They conveyed so much passion and beauty. Her hazel eyes were fixed on her phone while she showed him each of her favorite pictures. He glanced at her profile and thought she looked absolutely gorgeous in the morning light. He watched her delicate hands push her bangs out of her face and the way she crossed her legs looked adorable and childish. She sat up with her back straight which showed confidence. He couldn't stop staring at her. She glanced up at him and saw the look in his eyes. Her face went red and she grew shy by the sweet admiring look.

"W-what?" She muttered nervously.

"Nothing," he replied softly.

"I mean you're staring at me all weird."

"I just think you're gorgeous that's all."

She cleared her throat and hugged herself. She was trying to figure out her next response.

"Thanks but I don't know what you see in me honestly," Leo said quietly.

"What? Really? I see a lot of things. I just think overall you're so beautiful."

Leo looked up at him and smiled shyly. He sat closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Leo," he paused for a moment before she averted her eyes.

"What?"

She looked over at him again his face was closer. She took a deep breath and felt his arms curl around her waist. She gave him a wry smile.

"What…?" She whispered this time in a husky voice.

She saw him inch closer and she closed her eyes. She felt the soft warm sensation of his lips and she felt her heartbeat speed up. Usagi held her tighter and he felt shivers run down his spine. Leo missed this sweet feeling. The kiss was soft and feathery. She placed her phone down before putting her arms around his shoulders. He slightly parted from her and she gazed she gazed at him with sweet eyes.

"Too soon?" He asked softly.

Her eyes studied his lips before she looked into his soft blue eyes.

"No… kiss me again," she replied.

Usagi gladly did so. She didn't want this feeling to go away. They both felt as though they were the only two people in the world floating on air.

* * *

Amber sat in class and noticed Leo was missing. She turned around in her chair and faced Jojo.

"Have you see Leo?" She whispered quietly.

He shook his head in response. Amber glanced at Apollo and he just casually shrugged his shoulders.

She leaned back in her chair and groaned. She was feeling hopeful about Leo lately showing up to class on time but her skipping out again seemed like she was back to her old ways. Amber silently wished Leo would just cheer up already.

* * *

Leo and Usagi stayed together during lunch. They ate lunch together at the back of the school campus and talked about things together. She was starting to embrace his company. She noticed things about him she didn't notice before. The way he sometimes laughed at his own cheesy jokes, how often he'd flip his bangs from his face, and how he had the posture and confidence of a rebel yet was so sweet and caring in nature. Usagi often expressed himself with hand movements and gestures when he spoke. He was so animated and so interesting to watch. She liked that he had sharper canines than most men and the way his voice grew with more excitement when he spoke about his paintings. She loved every quirk about him. She enjoyed how he chose each word wisely and how witty and funny he was when he made facetious remarks.

"My dog is really big and fluffy and when summer comes he's absolutely miserable so basically I worked one year for a whole summer just to afford an AC because my parents kept saying it wasn't necessary. Anyway after that Waterloo has been living quite comfortably and I think he loves the AC more than he loves me," Usagi said with a satisfied giggle.

"You named your dog Waterloo?" Leo asked with an amusing smile.

"Yeah I thought it was a funny name."

"It is."

"But when you meet him you'll see it fits him. But we call him Loo for short."

"What kind of dog is he?"

"Ah, he's an Akita inu."

"Wow. I want a pet but I don't know what to get."

"You seem like a cat person to me."

"Well… yeah but I was thinking I wanted a dog."

"Dogs are great. They get attached to you as much as you get attached to them. It's really sweet."

"And they force you to go outside and exercise."

"If it's a workout buddy you want then I'd be happy to be that person."

"Well maybe not. I get enough exercise trust me. But maybe we can take your dog out if you don't mind me walking him?"

"Okay sure. We can meet up at the dog park and I'll let you walk him back."

"How about this weekend?"

Usagi nodded in agreement. Leo smiled widely. She looked forward to meeting his dog.

* * *

That evening the girls met with Ryou, Keiichiro, and Pai in the lab. Amber's parents were there discussing the possibility of rebuilding Cafe Mew Mew. Leo sat down and quietly listened to the conversation while she embraced the fact that she was still wearing Usagi's jacket. Yogurt sat next to Leo and quietly did a crossword puzzle.

"And we can buy out the land the cafe was built on and help just basically pay for the production. In the meantime this will have to do. I say we decorate this place and make it look a little more lived in. Why don't we paint the walls pink and add a bunch landscape paintings with wild flowers or something? A nice couch could go over there and let's get a microwave and refrigerator in here too," Mint, Amber's mother, said as she continued to look around and decide what should be added.

"I like the idea with painting the walls and decorating this dull gray place," Lettuce agreed while she looked Ryou in hopes he'd approve of her opinion.

"What's up with you women in making everything look like nature took a shit in a building? It's fine the way it is," Pai said firmly.

"Please you just have no imagination. I'm not the only one, right babe?" Mint asked turning towards Kish.

"Yes," Kish replied curtly.

"Pfft, whatever," Pai scoffed.

Ryou and Keiichiro agreed with Mint that in the meantime they could add to the laboratory and make it more comfortable for the girls. It would probably persuade them to come more often. It might even increase their morale as well.

"Alright we can get this place decorated. It might help a lot with the current attitudes my girls are giving me," Ryou said he looked over the group of six girls sitting together quietly.

Leo looked up and shook her head at him before turning to Amber to start a conversation. Ryou rolled his eyes and he faced Mint again to let her know he was definitely on board for everything. Pai was annoyed but he understood he was clearly outnumbered.

"Alright ladies you can all head home for now. We won't be doing necessarily much for the rest of the week so just come back next week. Have a good night ladies," Keiichiro said sweetly.

The girls didn't argue and quickly took their leave. Leo walked by herself. She wished Amber would've left too but she decided to stay with her parents. Mamo sat on her shoulder and decided to talk about something light-hearted with her.

"So Usagi is nice," Mamo said breaking the silence.

"Yeah he is, he's a total sweetheart," she replied happily.

"Thinking of getting with him?"

"I don't know Mamo. I'm afraid of hurting him. He has no idea I'm a Mew Mew or what happened in my past. I feel like if he found out everything he'd probably think I was lying or that I have serious mental issues. I just don't want him to think he's made a mistake you know?"

"Usagi is a very gentle understanding guy. On top of that he's an artist and artists are the weirdest type of people. I'm sure he'll be understanding as long as you provide proof that you are a Mew Mew. Like transform in front of him or something."

"Yeah you're probably right but I want to wait. Maybe he's got a dark side."

"I don't sense any ill will in this boy. He's a genuine person if you ask me."

"I just really don't wanna believe he's perfect."

"He makes shitty jokes and laughs at them himself. He goes to the gym with his friends just to draw. He skips class just to be with you on the roof to talk about literally nothing. He's not perfect. Hell he thinks rainbow sherbet ice cream and peanut butter is delicious. That's a disgusting clash of flavors."

"Okay so he's not necessarily perfect but he's so adorable and pure. He's so different from Rabbit but yet I just feel so interested in him."

"He's really nice and sweet compared to Rabbit. Rabbit makes him look like a goodie little church boy. Rabbit was an asshole and you and I both know that was a toxic situation. I think you should give him a chance and see if you can make it with him. I say you deserve a healthy relationship."

Leo sighed and nodded. Mamo understood it was a big step for Leo to even be able to talk about this. He was proud of her for not getting too emotional and defensive over it.

* * *

Back at the lab, after sending everyone home, Cho had stayed behind.

"Mr. Shirogane, is it alright if I can have a ride home please?" She asked sweetly as she took a seat in his swivel chair.

"Yeah Cho, I don't mind. So how's your bruise?" Ryou replied.

"It's fine. I'm still disappointed the experiment didn't go well. I was hoping to be a Mew Mew. Although I think I know how to become one. Hear me out, maybe if you can mutate my DNA structure with one of your Mews it could work."

"I don't want to do that. I'll just keep looking into another way to get this done."

Cho frowned at his response and she reluctantly nodded.

"Well I don't mind being a lab rat for whatever you wanna test something on," she replied in her usually sweet and cheerful voice.

While Ryou was driving her home and she went through her backpack and pulled out a hairbrush.

"Oh dear Amber left her hair brush at the lab. Do you think you could hand it back to her when you see her?" Cho asked as she placed the brush in the seat next to Ryou.

"Sure thing."

"Thank you so much. I'm glad I found it before she could lose it. It's such a gorgeous brush. Do you think she'll miss it?"

"Probably not since she's rich but I'll give it back to her."

"Yeah it's the right thing to do. Thanks again."

Ryou stopped the car and arrived at Cho's apartment complex. She thanked him quickly before dashing out of the car. She headed straight to her apartment. She greeted her parents before retreated into her room. She shut the door and took a deep breath. She quickly placed her backpack on the floor and pulled out a small box. She stored it under her bed and decided now was a good time to head to bed.


	5. Troublemaker

Leo and had met up with Usagi on Saturday at the dog park. She was excited to meet Loo. She kneeled over and hugged and kissed the big cuddly dog. He licked her face and wagged his tail happily. Usagi smiled at the two interacting.

"Aw who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You are! You are you adorable fluffy dog!" Leo cooed sweetly in a baby voice.

Loo grew more excited and knocked her over. She hugged him tightly and he attacked her big nasty dog kisses. Usagi went to save her from the vicious attack. He pulled him back and helped Leo up.

"Sorry about that, he gets excited," Usagi said in his gentle apologetic voice.

"Oh no it's alright. He's so sweet. I love your dog."

"I'm glad you do. Seems like he loves you too."

He watched her handle his dog with such attentive care. It was strange how gentle she was. It was like she knew his dog for a long time but she had only just met him. Her connection with his dog impressed him. She ran off with him and played with him. Loo chased her around the park while she playfully would run and stop periodically to give him time to catch up to her. Usagi found a bench and sat down to watch them.

* * *

Back at the lab, Cho sat with Pai and spoke with him.

"So wow, you guys used to be evil huh?" Cho asked curiously.

"No I wouldn't use evil as a way to describe it. I'd say we were more so blind in our leadership. Instead of trying to fix ourselves we thought it was better to just take what someone else had."

"What happened to all the technology you guys had huh? Is there anything left of the chimera animas that you made?"

"Possibly since it's kinda impossible to search the entire world to see if there is anything but I highly doubt it."

"How do you make one? Can you teach me?"

"I don't have the ability to teach you something like that and even if I did why?"

Cho crossed her legs and sat with hands folded in her lap. She just smiled her usual sweet smile and stared at Pai.

"It's important information duh," she replied sweetly.

"Well, it's getting late. I'm going to head home. You should too, kid."

Cho watched Pai stand up and collect his things before leaving. She waited very patiently for him to exit the lab. After he was gone she stretched herself out and stood up.

"Akasaka, Shirogane, would any of you enjoy a nice warm cup of tea?" Cho asked sweetly as she poked her head in their office.

"Tea sounds lovely thank you, Cho," Keiichiro replied with a gentle smile on his face.

Ryou simply nodded to her offer and Cho skipped off quickly to make them tea. She started the hot water and quickly pulled out the tea bags and sugar. She waited until the kettle screamed before she poured it very gently into each mug. She added the tea bag and the sugar. She then pulled out her personal bottle that was labeled "vanilla extract" and put a few drops into each mug. She carried it to her superiors. She smiled her usual sweet smile and put the mug in front of each man.

"Thank you, Cho, it smells good," Keiichiro said sweetly.

Ryou thanked her before taking a sip. Cho stood back with her hands folded and watched them closely. She saw them drinking the tea and continuing their discussion. It wasn't long before Ryou paused mid-sentence and held his stomach.

"Ugh…" he groaned.

"What's wrong?" Keiichiro asked worriedly.

"I don't know my stomach just feels awful all of sudden."

Keiichiro suddenly got the same feeling and started coughing. Ryou tried to suppress his gag reflexes and lied his head against the desk. Cho continued to stand there with her cheerful, sweet smile.

"My you don't look so good Mr. Shirogane. You look like you need to go to the hospital," Cho said as she walked over to them.

"Ugh Cho call the ambulance."

"What's the number again?" She asked in her darling voice as she leaned over him.

Ryou tried to reply to her but he ended up purging his tea. Cho took a step back and walked over to Keiichiro.

"You don't look so good either Mr. Akasaka. Perhaps more tea would help that tummy ache huh?"

"Cho, what did you put in the tea?" Keiichiro asked finally.

"Sugar of course. I'll go call the ambulance. But I can't seem to remember the number. It's a good thing they haven't put the carpet down yet, Mr. Shirogane sure is making a big mess," Cho replied when Ryou once again vomited.

She walked around the room and opened the cabinets and started to bag up everything she could grab. She shoved it all into a duffle bag before making off with the equipment and the research samples the men managed to store away. She turned to look at the two and smiled.

"Thank you for letting me intern. I really appreciate it," she said before taking her leave.

"That little shit," Ryou choked out.

* * *

Leo rolled over in her bed when she heard her phone ringing. She groggily answered it.

"Hello?"

"Leo, it's Ryou, listen to me very closely. First thing's first I need you to get over here as soon as possible, second of all I need to find Cho and retrieve my things. She stole everything she could take," Ryou's weak voice murmured over the phone.

"I knew she was a bad egg."

"This isn't the time for an 'I told you so' she poisoned us so hurry."

Leo grabbed Mamo and shoved him into her backpack before quickly hoping out of her bedroom window. Mamo poked his head out after he recovered from the shock and had words ready for his friend.

"Why did you grab me like that while I was sleeping huh!? What's the big idea anyway!?" He barked angrily.

"We're going to the lab," Leo replied as she ran as quickly as possible.

Mamo went back into the backpack and endured being tossed around. Leo took as many shortcuts as she could before she finally arrived at her destination. She broke a window and climbed in. Sure enough she found her superiors lying on the floor looking very pale. Leo quickly called the ambulance before going to comfort them.

"I called them, they'll be here as soon as they can get here. Hang in there," Leo assured them both quickly.

"Thank you, now please, go after Cho," Ryou muttered.

Leo nodded and left. She couldn't wait to punch her out and scold her.

"Mamo can you track her? Chances are she took a pendant," Leo asked quickly.

"Let me see if I can pick up a strange signal."

Leo waited while Mamo sat down scanning the location of each pendant. He found one on the constant move and he nodded at Leo.

"She's heading for Amber's manor for some reason," Mamo said finally.

"Strange… whatever let's go."

Leo managed to catch up to Cho after almost being hit by a car several times and pure tenacity. She grabbed Cho's hoodie and pulled her back.

"Hey you little bastard what do you think you're doing!?" Leo barked as she pinned her to the ground.

"Let me go you disgusting furball!" Cho hissed angrily.

"You think you're so slick being able to steal everything and get away with it huh!? Listen I knew you were a piece of shit!"

"You're so stupid if you think I'm giving any of this stuff up! You Mew Mews are the dumbest people I've ever met! You could take over the entire world with the powers you all have instead of just fighting off aliens all the damn time! And that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'll be ruling this planet for now on. Everyone will think I'm goddess sent from Heaven to rule this planet. They'll shower me in gifts and power and once I kill you and everyone else get rid of the evidence no one will ever be able to have access to Project Mew Mew ever again!"

"Oh is that your silly little plan huh?"

Cho grabbed the pendant she had and quickly kissed it in hopes that all her effort and constant experiments would pay off. A bright light took over her body and she transformed into a Mew Mew. Her white tiger ears and tail appeared on her head and her black and pastel teal uniform had a peculiar glow to it. She pushed Leo off of her and called on her weapon. It was a sword similar to Leo's mew sword.

"Yes! I knew your DNA would help me become a Mew Mew! It worked!"

"Disgusting! If it's a fight you want then you got it! I'm ending this bullcrap tonight," Leo replied before she transformed for the first time in a long time.

Mamo scurried off to get Amber, who was the closest Mew to them. Cho put up her sword and Leo lunged at her. She swung at her waist and Cho struggled to block the attack. The tip of Leo's blade managed to graze Cho's stomach and she winced in pain. Leo took her moment of weakness to grab Cho by the arm and pin her on the ground. She locked her arm behind her back and placed her boot on her back to keep down. Using her sword she pinned Cho's tail into ground. Cho shrieked in pain and tried to get out of the position Leo put her in.

"Let me go!" She demanded angrily as tears started pouring down her face.

"You honestly think I'm gonna let you go after what you said to me? Hell no. You thought you stood a chance against me when it's your first time fighting? Really?"

Cho hissed and screamed and demanded to be released. It was long before Mamo returned with Amber by his side. She saw the position Leo had Cho in and knew Leo had full control of this situation.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Amber asked quickly.

"Help me, Amber! Leo's crazy! She wants to kill all the Mew Mews once and for all!" Cho said helplessly in hopes Amber wasn't hip to the situation.

"She's a pathological liar. What do we do with her until Shirogane and Akasaka are able to deal with her?" Leo replied as she tightened her grip.

"Good question. Just keep her there until I can get my parents. I'm sure they'll know what to do."

"That takes too long and I don't know how long I can keep her here. Take the duffle bag and I'll see if I can get her locked up somewhere."

Amber nodded and quickly grabbed the bag. Leo noticed the others coming over.

"Oh thank goodness they got my distress signal," Mamo said with relief.

Dannie was the first to reach them. She quickly kneeled over Cho and grabbed her other arm. She placed handcuffs on her and Leo removed the sword from her tail. Dannie stood her up and placed a metal choker around Cho's neck.

"You traitor!" Dannie barked angrily as she placed a chain leash on her.

"Oh shut up, Dannie! Like I actually liked you and Anastasia. Pssh please. You two are annoying. You're all annoying!"

"You poisoned my father, stole his work, and did it all behind my back with me believing maybe you weren't that bad. I can't believe I ever even considered you a friend you disgusting germ!"

"You only have restrained because Leo manage to put me down but I bet you wouldn't have been able to do it yourself. When I get out of this, you're all dead meat! All of you!"

Dannie escorted her away with Anastasia following her. Leo and Yogurt looked at each other and both sighed.

"What a night," Leo muttered.

"Yeah tell me about it. I hope they get it sorted out," Yogurt replied with a yawn.

"Well there's nothing scarier than an angry Dannie. I think everything is going to be fine."

Yogurt agreed with Leo's statement. Dannie was like black and white. She was either really sweet and quiet or really angry and loud. She had zero tolerance for anything that inconvenienced her.

"Something tells me this isn't going to end well," Yogurt muttered under her breath.

"I've got that feeling running all through my spine too. For now though we should head home and check back with Shirogane and Akasaka in the morning," Leo replied as she placed her hand on Yogurt's shoulder.

Yogurt smiled sadly and the girls agreed to go home.


	6. This Charming Man

Several weeks passed and there was no sign of Cho. Dannie had reported that she had gone missing two days after her arrest. The girls agreed to all be on standby until she resurfaced. Leo had been spending most of her time with Usagi lately and she was slowly but surely falling deeply in love with him. It hurt her heart to know she was keeping things from him. She sat with him during lunch and watched him speak with one of his friends. She noticed his eyes shifted towards her every now and then as if he were checking on her. She loved that he was still concerned about her even though he was busy with a conversation. His hands were folded under his chin and he rested his head on them while his friend spoke to him.

"The fair is this weekend by the way," his friend said.

Leo's ears perked up when she heard that. She looked at him and listened attentively to their conversation.

"Oh yeah? My parents are going out on their twentieth wedding anniversary this weekend too. So I'll be stuck at home house sitting all weekend," Usagi replied with a defeated sigh.

"That doesn't mean you can't go."

"Yeah but I don't know who to go with. The fair is also kinda expensive."

"Um dude," his friend nudged him.

Usagi looked over at Leo and she quickly looked away and tried to look busy with her food. He chuckled and placed his hand over hers and addressed her.

"Leo do you want to go to the fair with me on Saturday?" he asked softly.

"Sure, I'd love to," she replied trying her hardest to hide her smile.

Usagi rubbed her hand affectionately and his friend noticed.

"Geez just hook up already," he said as he leaned back in his seat.

Usagi and Leo both felt their faces heat up with embarrassment. Leo casted her eyes to the ground and Usagi pulled his hand away.

* * *

After school Leo met with her friends. She was talking with them before Usagi approached her. He placed his arm around her shoulder and she grabbed his hand. She huddled close to his side and he offered to walk her home. She agreed to it and said goodbye to her friends before walking off with him. Amber looked at Apollo and Jojo. This started becoming a routine with Leo. She would leave with Usagi any chance she got.

"They are so cute," Amber said while she watched them shrink in the distance.

"They should just hook up already. I mean it's obvious she's into him. Just rip the band-aid off," Apollo said irritably.

"Hey they're going the pace they want. Just give it more time and they'll eventually be an item," Jojo replied curtly.

"Yeah but still, it's annoying anyway that they won't just get together."

Amber nudged Apollo and she couldn't help giggling.

Leo felt so much warmth and comfort whenever she was with Usagi.

"Do you want to go in the morning, afternoon, or evening?" Usagi asked.

"To the fair? Afternoon I guess. Maybe around three."

"Okay three it is then. Sounds like a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah I mean… well okay I'll call it hanging out. Sounds a hang out."

"No I mean it is a date. Right?"

"You don't mind calling it a date?"

"You've already kissed me you goofball. I'm not that insecure about it geez."

Usagi chuckled and gave her affirmation that she was right. He leaned over and pecked her cheek. She smiled widely at the gesture and held his hand all the way back to her house.

* * *

Once they reached her home Leo decided maybe it was a good time to ask if he'd like to come in for the first time. Before he could walk off as usual she grabbed his hands and extended the invitation.

"Would you like to come in for some tea?" She asked sweetly.

Usagi couldn't believe she was actually inviting him in. He didn't want to refuse her invitation knowing this was actually a big step for her. He quickly agreed to it and she escorted him into her home. Her mother was there as usual keeping herself busy with things.

"Leo is that you? There's some sandwiches I made for you in the refrigerator when you get the chance," her mother called.

"Thanks Mom," Leo replied.

Ichigo came downstairs to greet her daughter when she found that she wasn't alone. She lit up when she saw she brought a boy home for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"Who's your friend?" Ichigo asked with a sly smirk on her face.

"Oh this is Usagi. He goes to my school," Leo replied indifferently.

"My he's so cute and so tall," Ichigo teased playfully.

Leo's face went red and Usagi couldn't help smiling.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mrs. Aoyama. Your daughter is absolutely darling and I can see where she gets it from," Usagi said smoothly as he gave her a quick bow.

"Oh my goodness you have to stay for dinner so my husband can meet you!" Ichigo shrieked happily.

Leo shook her head.

"Mooooom! No! I just invited him over for tea!"

"Oh please as long as he's not busy right. Are you doing anything later tonight?" Ichigo asked him.

"Nothing but homework," he replied casually.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd enjoy that."

Ichigo turned towards Leo and gave her a cheeky smile. Leo sighed and turned to Usagi.

"Well if that's the case then I guess we can do our homework together," she said with a defeated sigh.

"Yes you two go on ahead and I'll be down here preparing dinner," Ichigo said as she urged her daughter along.

Leo led Usagi upstairs to her room and she opened the door for him to enter first. Usagi thought her room was adorable. He saw her stuffed animals and her baby pink bed. He scanned the room carefully and he found it so cute how she owned so many brightly colored things.

"Wow such a girly room," Usagi said jokingly.

"Oh please," Leo retorted.

"I think it's cute okay. Why don't we start on our homework?"

"Okay fine," Leo replied while she grabbed her backpack and threw it on her bed.

She sat down on her bed and he took a seat next to her. He started to pull out his text book when he noticed her staring at him from the corner of his eye. He glanced at her and she quickly looked away and started reaching for her backpack. She opened it and Mamo handed her all her materials before he sunk back into hiding. They both sat in an awkward silence and quietly did their homework. Usagi kept his nose in his textbook but would ever so often glance at Leo. She did the same thing.

"Can you help me with this, I'm not that great with math…," Leo said, finally breaking the silence.

Usagi leaned over to see what she needed help with and he gave her a warm smile. He helped her through the problem step by step to make sure that she got it. Leo listened carefully and followed everything he said. She didn't know he was so good at math.

"Thanks, that means a lot," Leo said happily.

"I'm happy to help."

Usagi placed his hand on her head and ruffled up her hair. She quickly protested against his action and declared him evil for messing up her hair. She only received warm chuckles and a pure smile. She sighed softly and sat closer to him.

"You know you're really smart," Leo said shyly and she pushed her bangs out of her face.

"Well the thing about math is once you know the formulas you can pretty much solve any problem. Not that it's easy but it just takes a bit of practice."

"God you are so weird, but you're kinda cool that way."

Usagi nervously rubbed his arm and Leo wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Hey…," Usagi muttered quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing I mean… you're just adorable."

She let out a soft girlish giggle and Usagi gave her head a quick pat on the head. She closed her eyes and she wanted to stay like this with him. The was something peaceful about being with him and she hugged him tighter. Usagi returned her hug and he rested his chin on her head.

"You're one of a kind, Leo," he whispered softly to her.

"Am I?"

"I've never met any girl like you before."

"Pfft you're just saying that."

"What? Of course not, I'm being honest."

"Really?"

"Yes, Leo, of course. I think you're really amazing and as I said you're one of kind."

Leo couldn't help the quiet smile that spread across her face. She sat up and put her arms around his neck. Usagi took her invitation and leaned into her. She closed her eyes and felt like she was sitting on a cloud of happiness. She felt shivers run down her back when his arms coiled around her waist. The taste of lips only seemed to get better and she wanted him more than before. Usagi, however, parted first and he let her go.

"Sorry I…," he paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked softly.

"I don't know it's just… I feel sort of weird," he replied nervously.

"Weird? Like how?"

"I mean we're not together but… we act like we are but there's a wall between us and I can't break it. Does that make sense at all? Or am I just crazy?"

"No you're not I understand. I'm sorry Usagi."

"It's okay. We can finish our homework before dinner."

Leo agreed and they continued with their work.

* * *

Leo retired to her room after parting with Usagi. She climbed in her bed and tried to recover from the embarrassment of her parents teasing her and suggesting that Usagi was going to marry her one day. She placed her pillow over her head and thought of what Usagi said earlier. She let out a disheartening sigh and Mamo sat up to address her.

"What's wrong now?" Mamo asked quickly.

"He said there was a wall between us and… I don't know Mamo he's not wrong. I don't know if I can fully open up to him about everything. I don't want to him to dislike me but it feels like if I don't we might slowly drift apart," Leo responded as she curled up in a ball.

"Well yeah. You gotta tell him if you want to push boundaries with him and move forward. It's obvious you're in love with him but at this point it's left up to you if you want to keep things going with him. Or just never tell him and eventually never see him again. I wouldn't lose this one if I were you. Rabbit slipped between your fingers because neither of you were willing to give up your positions on the good and evil spectrum. But you have a solid chance with Usagi. You just have to take it."

Leo sat up and hugged her pillow to her chest. She agreed with Mamo but she was still unsure of herself. Mamo waited for her to reply. She looked out of her bedroom window and tried to think of different ways to approach the situation.

"But how do I tell him?"

"That's up to you, Leo."

"I need to talk to Amber."

Mamo lied down and she continued staring at the starry sky wondering what to do.

* * *

The following day Leo visited Amber's manor after school. The two girls made casual conversation before Leo decided to finally bring up her issue.

"Hey Amber can I ask for your opinion on something?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah sure," Amber said indifferently.

"So okay basically Usagi is a really sweet, gentle guy and I like him a lot and he likes me a lot and I've already kissed him several times. There have even been occasions where we made out in the back of the school. He walks me home almost everyday and sometimes we ditch class and sit on the school roof and talk about whatever. Last night though I invited him in my house for the first time and my parents wanted him over for dinner so he stayed and to pass the time we did homework. But when things got intimate he stopped kissing me part way through and told me he felt weird because he felt like there was like a wall between us. And he's not wrong at all. I don't know how to tell him that I'm a Mew Mew and I don't know how to really give him the full details of what I went through and I don't want to lose him but Mamo said the best thing to do was to tell him. I mean… I don't want him to think that I don't like him or that I don't trust him. We're not even together yet but we act like a couple kind of. And it feels like every time we do get intimate it feels like it's just because we can, not because there's really anything to it and I think that's mostly cause I haven't opened up to him yet."

Amber tapped her chin thoughtfully and finally came to a conclusion.

"Do you want to be his girlfriend?" She asked curtly.

"Yes."

"Then tell him."

"But what if he doesn't want me anymore."

Amber stared at Leo in disbelief.

"C'mon Leo he does. He had dinner with your parents for crying out loud. You're thinking too hard. If you don't want anymore empty kisses and you want something real with him then you need to stop being so defensive and tell him what's going on."

"Okay but I don't know when would be a good time."

"It's never a good time. You just have to wing it."

Leo groaned and she leaned back into Amber's bed before letting out a louder more exaggerated groan. Amber rolled her eyes at Leo's dramatic response and she chuckled.

"It's not rocket science Leo," Amber said frankly.

"It feels like it ugh."

"I think it's cute you two like each other. I'm happy you found someone but you if want to keep him then you have to trust him."

"I know…"

"Good then it should be obvious about what you need to do."

* * *

The day of her date came sooner than she expected. She scrambled around her room to pick out a cute outfit for the day.

"Which one? The pink and white one or the black one? Should I go for something cute or edgy?" Leo asked Mamo as she shoved both dresses in his face.

"I mean you look good either way. It's up to you," Mamo replied indifferently.

"I'm calling Amber!" Leo nearly shouted.

"You don't need to! Just ask your mom!"

"And be teased and embarrassed by this whole situation!? No way!"

Leo reached for her phone but Mamo quickly flew over to it and covered it with his paws. He hissed at her each time she reached for it.

"You look sexy in black and adorable in pink. You're going to the fair, what do you think is more appropriate for the fair? Sexy vixen? Or super cute girl going out to enjoy stupid fair games and funnel cake with a cute boy at school?" Mamo was very firm with his words.

Leo's shoulder slumped and she chose the pink skirt that was in her closet. She quickly put on a black tank top and slipped on her skirt under it. She wore her black thigh highs and quickly went to ask Mamo's opinion of it.

"It doesn't matter, black goes with everything the thigh highs are fine. We better get moving before you're late to meet him!" Mamo scolded irritably.

Leo quickly grabbed her bag and called Mamo over. He rested himself at the bottom and pushed her things out the way to get comfortable. She darted out of her room and headed straight for the fair.

* * *

After she finally arrived she realized she was barely on time. She panted heavily and struggled to catch her breath.

"Hey there you are," Usagi said as he approached her.

She looked up at him and smiled widely.

"Sorry if I'm late," she replied apologetically.

"You're not. I was just buying the tickets that's all. Are you ready to go in?"

"Mmhm yeah, thank you."

Usagi gave her a warm smile and offered his hand to her. She grabbed it and she couldn't help feeling giddy. They entered the fair and she pointed out a few rides she wanted to try out. He agreed to experience them with her and she grew excited. Usagi noticed she chose the wildest rides the fair had to offer.

"That rollercoaster there is eighty miles per hour and it's huge! Look it goes upside down!" Leo shrieked happily.

Usagi faltered a bit and gulped nervously.

"You really wanna ride that thing?" He asked nervously.

"Well yeah. Look if anything happens I'll protect you okay?"

Usagi gave her an unusual expression of worry but he agreed to it. Leo grabbed both his hands and escorted him over to the line.

"Are you scared?" She asked.

"Um would you think less of me if I said yes."

"If you're scared then let's go ride something else."

Usagi sighed with relief and they wandered off to ride something else. They enjoyed small roller coasters and Usagi pointed out a cute large pink rabbit stuffed animal.

"Do you want that?" Usagi asked her.

"I mean yes but…"

"Well let me try to win it for you."

"Oh my god, Usagi."

Leo covered her face in embarrassed and couldn't help giggling while he tried to convince her he could do it. She tried to coax him out of it but he was too determined to get it for her. Leo watched Usagi play the silly yet always seemingly impossible carnival game. She nervously waited while he was busy trying to impress her. She stood back the entire time until she saw the man hand Usagi the pink rabbit. She gawked at him and was surprised he managed to do it. He walked over to her and handed her the toy. She hugged it close to her chest and thanked him a million times for it.

"Oh my god, it's so cute! I didn't think you would do it," Leo exclaimed happily.

"That's what you get for doubting me. I hope you love it," Usagi said playfully.

"I do thank you. You're the best."

Usagi kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand. They agreed to get funnel cake and walked off together.

* * *

They enjoyed the fair together but the entire time Leo could only think of how she was going to tell him that she was a Mew Mew and fill him in on her past. Usagi noticed that she got lost in her thoughts a lot during the whole date. It wasn't until nightfall and heavy clouds started to roll in did they agree it was best to head home. Leo held his hand and carried her stuffed rabbit under her other arm and she kept racking her brain on how to approach telling him.

"I had a lot of fun with you today," Usagi said sweetly.

Leo looked up, startled by his voice breaking the silence, and she agreed with him with a quick nod. He stopped in his tracks to address her weird behavior.

"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

Leo stared at him for a short moment before he asked again and she finally attempted to formulate an answer.

"Yeah I'm okay it's just I…. I um when I saw you last and you said there was a wall between us I…," she paused for a moment before trying to decide on what to say next.

Usagi scratched the back of head nervously and waited for her to figure it out.

"I mean I just don't know how to tell you anything or where I begin or how you'll react. Like I tried to tell you before that I wasn't worth any of this and that I'd only make you miserable if you tried to pursue me and I hoped you would quit while you were ahead but you never did and you always left it up to me to decide to walk away from this and I didn't want to either," she finished.

Usagi tried to respond but he felt a small cold drop hit his nose. He looked up and felt another one hit his forehead. He looked back at Leo and quickly took off his jacket to protect her from the rain. He huddled close to her and draped it gently over her head.

"Do you want to go back to my place and talk about it? It'd allow privacy and it'd just be us," Usagi asked finally after realizing the rain was going to go for the rest of the night.

Leo rubbed her arm and hugged the rabbit closer to her chest.

"Um… uh I don't think that I should…," she muttered quietly.

"That's alright. May I walk you home then?"

"Sure. I'd appreciate that."

Usagi gave her a gentle nod and they started walking in the direction of her home. It was quiet between them for a while. Leo kept turning her decision in her head over and over. She stopped walking after sometime and faced her date.

"Err… um Usagi…?" She choked out nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Um I thought about it and um… I'd like to go with you instead. Is it too late?"

"No. We can go. We have to head this way though."

He led her through the wet and seemingly endless streets of Tokyo back to his house. She held onto him the entire time and neither of them said a word. He finally stopped at a decently sized two story home and opened the gate. Leo looked up at it and she admired how charming the house was. He quickly opened his front door and they hurriedly rushed in to get out of the rain. After removing their shoes, Usagi had Leo sit on the couch.

"Do you want some hot tea?" He asked quickly.

She nodded at him before hugging her knees to her chest. She looked around his living room and it seemed quaint. There were pictures of Usagi and his parents all over the mantle. She smiled and was glad to see Loo come greet her. She gave him a pat on the head and was happy to have his company. He wagged his tail and lied down on the carpet.

"Here," Usagi said as he gently handed her a cup of tea.

"Thank you," she replied finally.

"I'm going to change out of these clothes cause they're wet if you don't mind."

"Go ahead I'll be here."

Usagi ran off and Leo sat alone. Mamo popped his head from her purse and looked around. He nodded with a satisfied expression.

"Nice place huh," he said quietly.

"Yeah."

"You gonna tell him?"

"Yeah…"

"You'll be fine."

Leo sighed and hoped Mamo was right. She heard Usagi's footsteps coming downstairs and he handed her a black shirt.

"Oh um," she paused.

"I figured you'd want the wet shirt off at least so you don't catch a cold."

She quickly grabbed it and thanked him. He pointed her to the bathroom and she hurriedly went to change her shirt. She couldn't believe she was actually wearing one of his shirts. It smelled like him and she wanted to secretly keep it. She walked out of the bathroom and he offered to wash her shirt for her. She agreed and he took it. She watched him scurry out of the living room.

It didn't take long before he returned and he nervously extended her another offer.

"Do you wanna stay down here or maybe go upstairs?" He asked as he rubbed his arm.

"Um uh… u-upstairs is fine."

He beckoned her to follow him and she grabbed her purse and her stuffed animal before climbing the stairs behind him. He led her to his room and he opened the door for her. She looked around curiously and found a small amount of his own paintings on the wall and she admired them. She noticed how neat and simple he kept his room. Other than the art supplies thrown in a box like an organized mess there wasn't much to stare at. He kept his things neat and his bed sheets were a normal navy blue. She noticed the window right next to his bed and she thought it must've been the perfect place to sit and stare out of.

"Leo," he called.

She looked at him and he sat down at the edge of his bed. She closed his door and faced him. She took a deep breath and knew it was now or never to tell him.

"Your parents aren't home?" she asked softly.

"They're away."

"Okay… um well where do I begin? So basically you have to promise me you won't freak out and you have to trust everything I'm about to say okay?"

Usagi nodded and waited for her to begin. She placed her hand on her hip and nervously pushed her bangs on her face before finding the much needed courage to begin.

"Um well it starts with my mom, she's a Mew Mew and basically what that is a genetically modified human with red data animal DNA and the strange new pattern allows for us to basically inherit animalistic traits and do cool things like land on our feet and heighten our sense. We can transform into our animal and talk to other animals similar to us. So my mom is an iriomote wild cat and she's like basically first generation Mew Mew. My dad happens to be like this warlord that tried to destroy the human race but his human side ended taking over thanks to my mom. It's really complicated but anyway like four years ago I became a Mew Mew myself and I'm a tiger…," she paused and studied the expression on Usagi's face.

He had a blank stare and he didn't reply. She kept talking.

"And there was this group that came from the moon of all places and decided to take over the planet. The leader was named Rabbit Luna and he was a prince. Um… you have the same eye color as him. And he and I were stuck in this horrible Romeo and Juliet situation only more violent and neither of us died. Well not physically. I was supposed to be fighting him and possibly kill him but I fell in love with him instead and it was this whole big mess that I ended creating and I didn't care at first because I was so in love with him and I thought we were happy but… anyway. Obviously we couldn't be together and after everything in the end he went back home and I stayed here and I never thought I'd fall in love with anyone again especially since he was the first boy I ever fell in love with and things were so messy I figured I'd never deal with this emotion again. So I shut myself out from everyone else. And that's basically it. I sustained the scars from battle see."

She lifted up her shirt and showed him the huge but faded scar across her stomach. Usagi stared at it and shifted uncomfortably. She quickly showed him the other scar on her shoulder.

"Okay and if that's not proof enough I have a special robot that helps me track people and danger. His name is R500 but I changed it to Mamoru. I call him Mamo for short okay."

She quickly went into her purse and grabbed Mamo. Usagi stood up almost immediately and went over to touch him.

"Hello. I told her to tell you," Mamo said with relief in his voice.

"Oh my god," Usagi paused for a moment.

"Okay just to prove to you I'm not totally insane I'll show you," Leo said pulling out her pendant.

She took a deep breath and transformed in front of him. Usagi stared at her and blinked twice before finally giving her a reaction. She nervously played with her tail and stared at the ground.

"Oh my god, Leo… you're adorable!" He nearly shrieked.

"Wait seriously?" She asked worriedly.

"I mean yes! I mean at first I did think something was wrong with you but look at you! Look at him!" He gestured towards Mamo. "I don't know what to do you're so cool! I mean the whole thing with the moon prince I'm sorry that happened but… I mean I knew there was something about you that I couldn't ignore and…!"

"The tiger ears and tail don't bother you?"

"I mean not really. It looks cute on you."

They both stood back in silence for a moment before Leo transformed back to normal. She walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Every time I look at you I'm reminded of Rabbit. Your eyes… I want to think maybe there's something similar that you two have but there's nothing about you that resemble him except for your eyes. You're your own person and I'm so relieved you're nothing like him. He was such a self centered asshole but I loved him anyway. You're not like that at all. You're so sweet and gentle. You're caring and a bit quirky and I didn't know what to do. Usagi, I was afraid to tell you," she said in almost a whisper.

"But I'm glad you did."

"I know…"

"Leo, is it okay if I ask you to be my girlfriend or…"

She hugged him tighter and he returned her hug.

"Yes, I'd love to be your girlfriend," she whispered to him.

He pushed her against the wall and she placed her arms around his neck. He pressed his lips on her, gently at first, but quickly got heated and more aggressive. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the wall. She melted under him and her heart felt free. She gave into her feelings and refused to hold back anymore feelings she had for him. The taste of him drove her crazy. He let her hands go and he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist before picking her up. She placed her arms around him and rested her forehead against his.

"You're so gorgeous," he muttered in a husky voice.

"Usagi…," she managed breathe out. He carried her over to his bed and lied her down. She stretched herself out before inviting him to cuddle with her. He climbed onto top of her and she kissed him again. Her hands wandered to the hem of his shirt. The feeling her soft bare hands touch his back sent shivers down his spine. She wanted to touch him everywhere she could. Her hands explored his chest and entangled themselves in his raven hair. Usagi took the amount of exploring she was doing as an okay to do the same. Their lips never parted while he felt up her leg. She leaned her back and moaned softly when she felt his hand go up her thigh. He finally sat up and gave her a nearly delirious look. He grabbed the end of her skirt and nervously asked her before moving forward.

"D-do you want to…?" His voice trailed off.

"Y-yes… um do you have any um…," she paused as her face had gone bright red.

He shook his head but quickly answered her.

"No but um… but there's a convenience store down the street from here and we could go now," he replied nervously.

"Okay let's go then."

Usagi and Leo quickly jumped up and he grabbed his wallet before handing her a jacket to wear. He grabbed his umbrella and they hurriedly ran out of the house. Mamo was left behind and he watched them run off from the window. He sighed and shook his head wondering how it escalated to this point.

* * *

The couple nervously stood together while waiting for the clerk to ring them up. The clerk studied the box of condoms before glancing at them. He simply smirked and bagged it for them before Usagi nervously paid for it.

"Have fun," he said after he handed them the bag. Leo nervously hid her face while Usagi awkwardly grabbed her hand and shuffled out of the store.

* * *

After returning back to Usagi's room, they wasted no time in opening the box and pulling one out.

"H-have you done this before?" Usagi asked awkwardly.

"No… you?"

"Nope…"

"Okay well um… we're going to right?"

"Yeah but only if you're comfortable."

"Yes."

Usagi grabbed her hands and led back to his bed. Leo lied back and she felt her heart racing. Usagi fumbled around with his shirt before finally removing it with trembling hands. Leo took a deep breath and admired her new partner. He lifted her shirt over head and revealed her pink butterfly patterned bra. She nervously covered herself and he tried to convince her that she looked adorable. He brushed his fingertips gently over the scar on her stomach and she nervously looked away. He rubbed her cheek and she gave him a sweet glance. Their hearts were racing and both teenagers felt like they were going to just about die of embarrassment but the primal desire knocking on their door was so loud and obnoxious neither of them refused to answer it.

* * *

After the intense moment and new experience was over, he lied down with her and she cuddled up to him. They snuggled each other under his blanket.

"Was it good?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'm a bit sore but it was good," she assured him quietly.

"Sore? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I love you," she whispered sweetly.

Usagi rolled over and hugged her tightly. She snuggled her head against his chest and started to drift off to sleep.

"I love you too," he replied softly to her.

Leo smiled and they both were exhausted and tired from their first time. They drifted off to sleep after a few moments to recover from their emotions and feelings.

* * *

 ** _A/N: So I wrote literally an entire sex scene for this but I didn't want to change the rating for this. So I specifically edited it for FanFiction. I'll upload the full chapter on dA when I get the chance. I'll let you know as soon as I do if you want to read an awkward sex scene between two teenagers who have no idea what they're doing. And yes btw I did name the chapter after a song by The Smiths. It was originally called "A Charming Date" but I thought it'd be cute and the song was stuck in my head. Just a bit of trivia lol._**


	7. Cho's Army

The next morning Leo woke up to her phone ringing and Mamo shaking her to answer it.

"H-hello," she yawned tiredly over the phone.

"Leo Aoyama where did you disappear off to last night? Your father and I are worried about you!" Ichigo's scolding voice nearly shouted over the receiver.

"Mom I'm so sorry, I'm at Amber's house! I meant to tell you I was going to spend the night with her," Leo replied quickly.

Mamo rolled his eyes and Usagi overheard the conversation. He rolled over and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You need to tell me next time so I don't think anything bad happened to you. Geez you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Mom, I know how to protect myself okay. I have freak powers remember?"

"Yes but that doesn't mean I don't worry about you anyway. Let me know when you're going out next time. How was your date with Usagi?"

"My date with Usagi? It was nice. We had a good time."

"That's sweet. I'll see you soon."

"Bye Mom."

Leo quickly hung up and called Amber. She hoped to God she'd answer it to hip her to what just happened.

"Ugh hello…?" Amber's tired voice answered.

"Hey Amber sorry to bother you so early but I need a favor," Leo replied quickly.

"Jesus Christ Leo do you even know what time it is right now? It's Sunday and it's barely eight."

"Okay yes I know but I spent the night with Usagi and I didn't tell my mom. So she just called me and just in case she calls your parents or you, tell her that I'm there."

"You spent the night with him huh? How romantic, did anything spicy happen?"

Her voice obviously cunning and interested in juicy details made Leo's face go red. She quickly retorted to Amber's question.

"You'd like to know wouldn't you? I'll tell you later. Just cover my ass."

"You got it, whatever you want. But you promise me that you got me covered next time."

"Always. Thanks Amber."

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

Leo hung up and Mamo quickly took her phone. She wrapped her arms around Usagi's arm and snuggled up to him. They both lied together in silence before Usagi made a silly joke about the conversations Leo just had. She chuckled and rolled her eyes. He kissed her forehead and neither of them wanted to get up.

* * *

Later that same night Cho wandered into a dark alley and had her bag tightly in her grasp. She had recovered from her battle with Leo and after successfully finding a way to escape she ran off to find a new place to hide. She never returned home after she took all her things and decided she was strong enough to survive on her own while she prepared for her quest of world domination.

It didn't take long for a gang of men to run up on her to see if they could get away with a crime.

"Hey little girl, you're on the wrong side of town," one of the guys said as he circled around her like a vulture.

Cho rolled her eyes and placed her hands on hips. She scoffed before she curtly responded.

"Ugh where's your leader?" She asked, clearly annoyed with their intentions.

"My leader? Who do you think you are huh? It ain't a bother to you who he is, kid."

"Then you're wasting my time."

"Wasting your time?"

He turned to the other men and they all had their eyebrows raised wondering what was wrong with Cho. Finally one of them spoke up.

"I can take you to him but he doesn't like visitors."

"Fine," Cho replied indifferently.

She followed them through the darkness of the night till they finally came to an abandoned building. They ushered her in and sure enough there was man sitting on a worn out couch with cigarette in his mouth. He looked up to see his gang return to him and a smirk edged his lips when he noticed Cho.

"Hey you brought me a toy," he said as he stood up.

"I'm not a toy, I'm here to offer a proposition of power. But you have to meet some prerequisites first. If you're interested you better tell me now or I'm leaving," Cho said with her hands on her hips.

"Hey kid what's wrong with you? Who do you think you are?"

"My name is Cho. I'm a Mew Mew and I need help taking over the world. Have you ever killed someone before?"

"What? I mean… maybe but what's it to ya?"

"Again I need help taking over the world and if you're not going to help me then forget it. I have a few people I need dead and I can't do it alone. I'm offering you political power and world domination when we become successful and I could've went to any stupid gang but I chose yours so take it or leave it."

Cho stood there with her hands on hips and waited for a proper response. The gang leader stood up and walked over to her. He looked at his group and pointed at her.

"Let's see how well you can hold your own then kid. Kill her," he said as snapped his fingers.

The men all pulled out their pocket knives and went to attack her. She immediately transformed and summoned her sword. She wasn't as skilled as Leo but she was certainly better than the gang. She stabbed one of them in the shoulder and swung her sword at another one, cutting his leg off. The leader watched her destroy his entire gang.

After she killed every last one of them she turned to the leader and he nodded his head in approval.

"Alright I'll join you. My name is Koyote. Like coyote with a K."

Cho smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

Leo met with her friends after school the next day after Ryou had called them in. They all quietly spoke amongst themselves and discussed the new decor around the lab. Everything was so colorful and comfortable. There were cute pictures of cupcakes and animals hanging around the room and the walls were pastel pink. Yogurt placed her feet on the fluffy and extremely soft pastel carpet.

"You guys really made this place feel so much better. The atmosphere and the colors are amazing!" Anastasia said happily.

"We tried. Thank Amber's mom," Ryou replied bluntly.

"She's the best," Amber said proudly.

"Yeah. Alright ladies let's talk business. Yesterday night the police found a group of men dead in an abandoned warehouse," Ryou said as he showed them the pictures.

Dannie stared at them carefully and noticed all the wound marks. She looked over at Leo and asked her quickly to show off her shoulder. Leo awkwardly hiked up her sleeve and Dannie nodded.

"Cho did it. It was obviously a sword used but look how messy that is. It couldn't have been anyone else. This obviously wasn't a gang war, there would be others besides them."

"So is she just killing people or is she trying to be helpful?" Amber asked suddenly.

"Unlikely given her snake like nature. She's blood thirsty but she's not stupid. Every move she makes is a calculated one. Again she's definitely brain over brawn."

Amber stared at Dannie before turning her attention to the men in charge of them.

"She's also responsible for sneaking in last night and stealing the blueprints to Mamo's structure," Ryou said as he turned towards Leo.

"What does she want with that anyway?" Leo asked as she hugged Mamo close to her chest.

"Same reason why you have Mamo. To warn her of danger."

"Pfft I hate her the more we talk about her."

"Me too but let's see if we can reason with her," Anastasia interrupted.

Dannie placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"We can't. We just have to take her out,"she said quietly.

"But what about her family?"

"She abandoned them. We'll send a gift basket how about that?"

"A little heartless huh?" Leo chimed in.

Dannie shrugged and turned her head. Amber sat back into her chair and crossed her legs.

"Should we go out and find her?" She asked finally.

"Well… I'm not sure. I know we shouldn't stay idle but," Keiichiro hesitated for a moment.

"Lay low for now. She can't move forward with her plans for world domination if you girls aren't dead," Ryou replied firmly.

"Lay low? After she killed innocent people?" Anastasia nearly barked.

"Those weren't innocent people. They were gang members and I'm sure they've had their fair share of rape and murder. She did a service but it won't be long before she does kill an innocent person," Dannie replied firmly.

Anastasia's shoulders relaxed and reluctantly agreed. The other girls sat closer to her and rubbed her back and tried to ease her mind.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Koyote asked while he watched his new partner screw motherboards together and sew fur onto a jointed robotic skeleton.

"Creating a robot cat. Like what Leo and her mother have," Cho replied quietly.

"Oh yeah? What is that supposed to do?"

"Warn us of danger and stuff. Like Mamoru."

"Alrighty whatever."

Cho stopped and stared at him. She studied his quiet brown eyes and the cigarette in his mouth. She turned away when he made eye contact with her.

"What?" He asked when he noticed.

"Nothing."

"You owe me an explanation."

Cho rolled her eyes and spoke up.

"I'm thinking of a way to make you more useful that's all."

"Jesus. You don't have any shame do you? What you wanna turn me into a tiger too?"

Cho shook her head and chuckled coldly.

"I am a shameless person. But if I turn you into a Mew Mew I'd have to kill you too by the end of this whole thing."

"Aw you do have something of a heart in that icebox of a chest don't you?" Koyote cooed at her playfully.

"Only a little bit."

Koyote ruffled up her soft brown hair and took a seat on his couch while he watched his new partner work on her project. He studied her figure and watched her thoroughly calculating every stitch and chip she incorporated with care into her robot. Her fingers were gentle and her expression was stern and focused. Koyote raised an eyebrow and spoke up.

"How old are you kid?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Sixteen."

"Smart sixteen year old huh."

Cho sat up and smiled with pride.

"I'd like to think so," she said with a devious smirk on her face.

Koyote leaned back and continued to watch her work.

"So when are you going home? You've been lingering in my apartment for a while."

"I'm not going home. My parents would never understand."

"And you just want me to move you in here. With me and Yoko? I don't think that'd go over well with her."

"Yoko?"

"My girlfriend."

Cho stared at him and her eyes faltered.

"Girlfriend?"

"Um duh. What you thought I was single? Who else do you think keeps this place clean and half ass decent looking?"

"If that's all you want in a girlfriend then I'm good at keeping things clean," Cho said jokingly.

"Yeah but you forget that you're under age and I'm not a fan of starting over. Besides figuring out a girl's buttons and what makes her scream is more work than I'd like to put in."

Cho rolled her eyes and pouted.

"If you explain to her that I'm a cute orphan she won't mind right?"

"It'd be a cold day in hell before she believes that I'd take in an orphan."

"Where was she last night?"

"With her parents."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty one."

Cho rolled her eyes and decided to keep working. Koyote went quiet trying to figure out a good way to put to his girlfriend that Cho would be staying with them.

* * *

Leo met with Usagi later that day and they held hands while discussing their day.

"So basically Cho is a girl who made herself a Mew Mew and now wants world domination," Leo said in her usual tone of voice.

"Sounds really comical. Like a cheesy superhero movie," Usagi replied with a chuckle.

"Sorta huh? It's weird what goes through people's minds. She couldn't just be a normal teenager like the rest of us. You know worry about homework and crushes and stuff. Instead what she's worried about is taking over the world and living in the lap of luxury."

"Normal teenager like you?"

"Well I didn't ask to be cursed with the Mew Mew responsibility. I don't even know what I wanna do as my career."

"How about a cop? Or like enlist in the military?"

"No… I don't want to do that. I was thinking something less violent like um… an animal groomer or something."

Usagi chuckled and squeezed her hand tighter.

"Why not a housewife?" Mamo, who was riding her shoulder like he normally did, chimed in.

"What a waste of potential. But you would certainly make an adorable housewife," Usagi replied jokingly.

"Me? A housewife? Pfft no I don't think so. Maybe an astronomer," Leo added.

They continued their conversation before they ran into Jojo and Apollo. Leo waved at them and the boys immediately knew that she and Usagi were an item when they noticed Mamo openly in front of him. Apollo gave her a gentle smile and Jojo ran up to hug her.

"Congratulations!" Jojo said excitedly.

"For what?" She asked playfully.

"You two are dating right?"

"Who told you?"

"Um holding hands, Mamo is in front of him… the whole vibe between you two…"

"Oh um well… yes we're dating."

"Finally," Apollo said in his usual stoic voice. The smile and gentle expression however made it very clear he was happy for them.

"Oh Usagi this is Jojo, one of my best friends and that's Apollo. He is living proof that the whole Rabbit situation happened. He's from the moon and he was a close friend of Rabbit," Leo said as she turned to him.

Usagi shook their hands and smiled.

"Ah you told him everything then huh?" Apollo asked.

She nodded.

"We were going to meet Fox. Would you like to come?"

"Oh god no thanks. Fox and I don't get along."

"Oh c'mon Leo. He's got nothing against you."

Jojo shrugged and Apollo decided to leave them to themselves.

"Well if you ever want to come over sometime let me know. See you guys," Apollo said as he and Jojo kept moving.

"Bye guys," Leo replied.

Usagi took her hand and they kept walking. Mamo felt his radar vibrating and he immediately flew off Leo's shoulder. She stopped and watched him carefully.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked worriedly.

"I don't know I'm picking up a weird frequency and it's messing with my radar. I feel it coming from this direction," Mamo replied as he flew over in the direction.

Leo squeezed Usagi's hand and chased after him. Usagi stopped in his tracks and she came to a sudden halt. She turned in his direction to see what was wrong.

"You go, I won't be able to defend myself like you can," Usagi said firmly.

Leo quickly kissed his cheek before darting off. Usagi turned the other direction and headed home. Leo picked up her pace and followed Mamo. She noticed Cho ahead with a man and a black cat with purple wings. She stopped and immediately transformed. Mamo urged her to hide.

"It got closer," the cat spoke up with a feminine voice.

"She… she's like me," Mamo whispered to Leo.

Leo squinted her eyes and gritted her teeth. Mamo wanted to desperately get a closer look at this robotic cat. Her eyes were red and she wasn't was impressive as he was. She had purple patches of fur making it very clear that Cho ran out of black faux fur to stitch into her. Her voice was that of an angel and it was an obvious representation of her creator. Sweet yet clearly dangerous and cunning.

"I wanna see her," Mamo whispered again to Leo.

"You can't, c'mon Mamo," Leo replied to him.

"Please, let me get a closer look."

"No Mamo."

Mamo flew over to her anyway despite Leo's firm voice. Cho and Koyote quickly turned in his direction. Leo jumped out of her hiding spot and pointed her sword at Cho.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Miss Leo Aoyama. Surprise, surprise I'm not alone this time but it seems like you are!" Cho hissed with a devious smirk on her.

"I'm putting you behind bars! Both of you!" Leo barked firmly.

"So this is the girl you've talking about huh? She's kinda cute," Koyote replied towards Cho.

"Yeah but she's really annoying. Mew Mew Metamorphosis!" Cho kissed her pendant and transformed.

She summoned her white sword and pointed it at Leo. It didn't take long at all for Leo to attack.

"Ribbon Pink Tiger Stripes!" Leo barked as she aimed her attack at Cho.

Cho struggled to hold her sword against Leo's attack. She slid back and fell over. Leo planted her sword down next Cho's face and grazed her cheek.

"You're so tough," Leo said sarcastically.

Cho went to stab Leo between the legs but inevitably failed when her target was shoved away from her. Leo rolled over on the ground and quickly stood up to see who pushed her. Apollo stood back and summoned his warhammer. Cho scrambled to her feet and drew her sword.

"Ribbon Blackberry Slash!" Cho screamed and Apollo immediately held up his weapon and blocked the powerful attack.

He only slid back a little bit. Leo pounced for Cho but a loud deafening sound and a sharp horrific pain overtook her body. She rolled over and lied on the grass in pain. She held her arm and bit her lip. She was terrified to look at what happened. Apollo shrieked before blasting Cho back with a fireball. Mamo flew in Leo's direction to come to her aid. Apollo quickly lifted her up and carried her off. Cho's robotic cat went to fly after them but she stopped her.

"Nori, let them go. I still have other things to do and we need to accomplish certain things first anyway," Cho said firmly.

Nori watched them leave and she made eye contact with Mamo when looked back. His blue eyes faltered and she quickly looked away when she noticed. Koyote placed his gun back in his bag and Cho smiled widely at him

"Useful," she said quietly.

Kotoye scoffed at her response.

"Duh," he replied.

* * *

 _ **(A/N: Yes I am back from my long hiatus to bring you more of this shitty story. I actually adore Cho. She's a fun character to write. She breaks all the rules of a majestic magical girl and is still a magical girl. In my drawings of her she is depicted to have big adorable doe eyes and a cute heart-shaped beauty mark on her right her cheek (she also has squishy cheeks). She wears light colors and dresses cute. Her Mew form is more a pastel goth type color-scheme. Pastel teal and black fur accents. Her original colors were going to be white and pink but I decided against it. She's also obviously very poor in combat. Stayed tuned for more Cho.)**_


	8. Fox

"Hold on Leo, just hold on we're almost there," Apollo assured her in a worried voice as he carried her along.

"Ugh it burns and stings," Leo muttered in pain.

Mamo felt a tinge of guilt for how the whole situation turned out. He held onto to Apollo's backpack and tried to formulate a proper apology to Leo. Apollo finally came to a stop at a small house and quickly opened the door.

"Fox!" He called urgently as he set Leo down on the couch.

Fox, a tall orange haired man, came from the hallway to see what his younger brother was screaming about. He saw Leo for the first in what felt like years and immediately understood she was injured. He walked over to her and examined her arm.

"Oh a gunshot wound. How fun. Lucky they didn't get you in any major arteries or anything. I'll get the first aid kit and let's see if we can get that bullet out of your arm," Fox said calmly as he hurried to the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit.

Apollo tried applying pressure to her arm to stop it from bleeding while holding a paper towel to it. Leo hissed in pain and bit her lip. It wasn't long before Fox came back with the first aid kit.

"Here let me," Fox said as he urged Apollo to move. He pulled out a pair of tweezers and quickly dived into Leo's wound. She yelped in pain and tears started rushing down her cheeks.

"Isn't it better to go to a doctor!?" Apollo asked in horror.

"Nah I got it. See?" Fox replied as he yanked the bullet from inside her skin.

He quickly dressed her wound and gave her some pain reliever.

"Walk it off," he said jokingly.

"Ow… ugh fuck. It hurts to lift my arm at all."

Apollo sat next to Leo and tried to make her feel better.

"Do you want some tea or something?" he asked gently.

"No I think I'll be fine. Thanks guys honestly," Leo replied while she winced in pain.

Apollo looked up at Fox, obviously seeking help from his older brother. Fox ruffled up Leo's hair and decided to ask her about what happened.

"Well Cho is basically Dannie and Anastasia's friend. Well used to be anyway. She's a jerk who's also bloodthirsty and power hungry. So she's on this Mew Mew binge where she wants to basically kill us and take over the world. You know… she's crazy," Leo explained carefully.

"Sounds like a lot to deal with. I mean I haven't personally haven't had any action in like years so if you guys want any help then my services are available."

"You? Help? You could barely even kill me."

"I was being held back by emotions and my superior. I wanted to kill you but Rabbit had his head up his ass and he was madly in love with you."

Leo hugged herself with her good arm and leaned her head back into the couch. She bit her lip and found the courage to ask the brothers if they heard anything from Rabbit since the last time she saw him.

"So um… how is Rabbit?" she asked nervously.

"Oh he's fine. He got married you know. Some cute chick named Amethyst," Fox replied indifferently.

"He's married…?"

Apollo rolled his eyes and glared at Fox for his insensitive tone. He quickly tried to make Leo feel better.

"I mean yeah but what does it matter? You're with Usagi now and c'mon let's be honest here, he's so much better than Rabbit," Apollo said in the gentlest tone he could muster up.

"How long have you guys known this?" She asked suddenly.

"I mean for a month or so right?" Fox replied casually.

"Apollo you never told me!" Leo nearly barked in frustration.

"Who cares? You're with someone way better anyway. Rabbit is a self-centered jerk and I feel sorry his new wife," Apollo replied curtly.

"I heard they were both rather happy in their marriage," Fox added.

"Fox shut up!" Apollo hissed this time.

Fox easily backed off and retreated to another room. Leo tried to rationalize her feelings. Apollo was right, she was with Usagi now but she couldn't shake the feeling of despair. All her longing and unrequited love was for nothing. He probably didn't even miss her. She bit her lip and tried her hardest not to cry about it.

"I didn't want to tell you, I'm sorry it was better you didn't know," Apollo said finally breaking the silence.

"No it's fine. You're right I'm with Usagi and I'm happy with him. There's no reason I should be upset over Rabbit being happily married. Anyway he probably didn't think of me as much I thought of him," Leo muttered quietly.

Apollo placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He says he misses you all the time though Leo. But you guys both know it would never have worked out anyway. You had to let it go and I wouldn't have helped you at all telling you about him every time he got in contact with us. I mean you would've just kept longing for something that was never going to happen and you would've never given Usagi or any guy for that matter a chance. Leo, Rabbit knew he wouldn't see you again he had to move on. I'm sorry."

Leo wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Really? He said that?"

"Yeah."

"That's so sweet of him. I mean you're right but that's still really sweet of him."

"Yeah I haven't told him about your new boyfriend yet but he'll probably have the same reaction. Keep your head up and try not to move your arm too much. Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No it's fine."

"Are you sure? Maybe I could call one of your friends instead…?"

"If you do, the one I probably would want to see right now is Anastasia since she's good at making everyone feel better you know."

Apollo nodded and went with her request.

* * *

Anastasia showed up at the door a few hours later to walk Leo home. Fox opened the door to let her in and was shocked to see how much she had grown in the past four years.

"Good evening, where's Leo?" Anastasia asked as he escorted her in.

"Over there on the couch. Wow look at you, Miss Anastasia all grown up. How old are you now?" Fox asked playfully.

"Twenty," she replied curtly.

"Seriously?"

"I was sixteen when you met me."

Fox bit his lip and Anastasia took a good look at him before walking over to Leo. Her injured friend lit up when she saw her. She stood up from the couch and walked up to Anastasia.

"I'm glad you're okay, I'm sorry about your arm. How bad is it?" Anastasia asked as she hugged her friend gently.

"It hurts a lot but I'll be fine," Leo responded quietly.

"Well let's get you home."

Leo thanked Apollo and Fox for helping her. Anastasia quickly did the same.

"Thanks guys, bye Fox," Anastasia said smoothly as she escorted Leo out.

"Hey foxy, if you're interested in a date let me know," Fox purred slyly.

"I'll consider you invitation."

Apollo glared at Fox and shook his head before finally retreating to his room. The day had been long enough.

* * *

"Hey Anastasia," Leo peeped as they walked together.

"Hm?"

"Rabbit got married and I don't know I just feel kinda… melancholy? I mean I shouldn't and I just hooked up with Usagi and even hit home run with him. It's such a weird feeling to know that the guy you've been thinking of forever has moved on long before you did. Does that make any sense?"

Anastasia tapped her chin carefully and soon nodded. Leo's shoulder slumped and she looked up at the peach colored sky and sighed.

"I mean I guess I'm happy for him but it's so sudden," Leo muttered.

"Well it makes sense. But I wouldn't dwell on it too much because it might affect your relationship with Usagi."

"You're right. Usagi is a great person and I'd hate to let him down. I should call him tonight."

Anastasia agreed with her and Leo quickly thanked her. Leo sighed and couldn't shake the thought from her head that Rabbit was married. She did give him a proper goodbye four years ago but it still stung. She secretly wondered what his wife was like and if she was anything like her.

She arrived home shortly after and saw Anastasia walk off after saying goodbye. Leo told her parents what had happened and they gave a hug and offered her some pain medication to make the pain go away.

* * *

"Being a Mew Mew is a lot of effort," Leo whined as her mother offered her water.

"I know honey, but I'm so proud of you taking up the responsibility. I don't think I could do all that work with my age," Ichigo replied sweetly as she patted her daughter's head.

"You're not that old, Mom," Leo retorted.

"I know but I am too old for Mew Mew stuff."

Leo watched her mother retreat to the kitchen and she immediately sighed in frustration. Her father walked by and pinched her cheek affectionately. Leo forced a smile and knew her parents were trying their hardest with her.

"I told Usagi that I was a Mew Mew yesterday," Leo said when her mother and father sat beside on their couch.

"Did you really?" Ichigo asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"How did that go for you?" Masaya asked.

"Well he's my boyfriend now so," Leo muttered almost to a whisper.

Ichigo jumped up and clapped her hands at the news. Masaya lied back and try to cope with Leo having her first boyfriend.

"Isn't that exciting Masaya!? Our little girl dating a cute boy from school. Usagi is a really sweet boy too and he's so polite and he's so perfect for you. You should have him over for dinner again. I'll make something really delicious too."

"Well it's better than Rabbit," her father replied indifferently.

Leo sighed tiredly. She really didn't want to hear that coming from her father's mouth. She wished she kept it a secret for a little bit longer.

* * *

Cho returned to the apartment she was staying at with Koyote. She had a large red book in her hands and she struggled to carry the heavy thing along with her backpack. Nori sat on her shoulder the same as Mamo would sit on Leo's shoulder.

"Do you need help?" Nori asked carefully.

"No I don't," Cho replied firmly.

"I can at least open the door for you."

Cho rolled her eyes and Nori flew to the door and opened it for her. Cho kicked the door open to keep it from closing on her. Koyote jumped up and saw Cho waddle in and quickly set the book the down on the coffee table. He quickly noticed this extremely large book had strange symbols on the cover of it.

"What are you bringing into my place now, kid?" Koyote asked curiously.

"A book on summoning demons," Cho replied confidently.

"Oh no, not in my house."

"Oh please, don't be such a baby. But if you're that worried about it we can take it to the park at night and do it there."

"That's a better idea than doing it here but fuck that."

Cho rolled her eyes and sat in front of the book. She flipped through the large pages until she found the page she wanted. She pointed at and Koyote leaned forward to see what she was up to.

"I found it. What do you think of this?" Cho asked as she presented the page to him.

"A wolf demon?"

"Marchosias. Since your name is Koyote I figured this one was perfect for you," Cho replied.

Koyote went wide-eyed and stared at Cho in disbelief. The smug look on her face frightened him and he didn't believe she was about to sacrifice him.

"Listen I draw the line at sacrificial rituals. You're not going to use me to summon this demon," Koyote protested immediately as he quickly stood up.

"I'm not using you to summon it."

"Then what are you up to?"

"Let's go to the park and find out," Cho replied as she placed a bookmark in the book before closing it. Koyote raised an eyebrow and sighed. Cho once again grabbed her backpack and he reluctantly followed her, wondering what she was up to.

* * *

Cho made it to the park with the book and her friends. She placed it on the grass and opened it again.

"So I need to the blood of a wolf but dogs are related to wolves so it's works just as good right?" Cho said as she drew a pentagram and placed the blood she collected in the circle. Koyote rolled his eyes and hoped this was just a useless venture. She stood up and grabbed his arm. Koyote hissed through his teeth when she slit his finger and squeezed his blood into her circle.

"What are you doing!?" He hissed.

"Making life easier for you," Cho replied as she placed other materials into her circle.

Koyote took a step back and she looked up at him.

"You have to chant with me in order for this work."

"Or you know… we could just not do this."

"Or you could hold my hand and chant with me."

Koyote shook his head. Cho rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She started the chant and Koyote took a few more steps back. He saw the circle and the items starting the glow.

"Hell no," Koyote barked as he took a few more steps back.

Nori hid behind Cho's bag and watched as the wind started to howl around them. Her radar went off and she couldn't help vibrating at the sense of danger.

* * *

Mamo fell off of Leo's bed and his radar continued going off. Leo sat up and saw Mamo vibrating.

"Cho huh?" Leo asked quickly.

"No, something else. Something bigger and scarier," Mamo replied worriedly.

Leo quickly called her friends and they all agreed to meet at the lab and go from there.

* * *

Cho watched as a giant black beast had risen from her circle. She was successful in her attempt.

"Cho that thing is dangerous! Run!" Nori shrieked in alarm.

"Oh shut up," Cho replied as she raised her arms.

The demon faced Koyote and he looked away from it in fear. Without a word the creature lunged towards him and he immediately blacked out. Nori and Cho looked away from the bright light and took cover from the huge impact. The wind had died down and Cho looked up when the blinding light died down. She saw Koyote on the ground, motionless from his interaction.

"Did it work?" Cho asked as she approached his body.

"Is he dead?" Nori asked worriedly.

She poked his body and received no reaction from him. She quickly kneeled over him to check his pulse.

"He's breathing," Cho replied quietly.

"How are we going to get him home?" Nori asked as she walked around his body.

"Good question."

Cho packed her things when she noticed the circle she drew was gone and it was if nothing had happened. The book had closed from the summoning. She sighed and checked Koyote again and his finger had healed from the cut she made. Her eyebrows perked up and she shook her friend to see if he would respond.

"Koyote?" She asked curiously.

Koyote stirred slightly and he immediately opened his eyes. He sat up in alarm and breathing heavily.

"Where am I!? What happened!?" He shrieked as he grabbed his chest.

Cho stared him in awe. Koyote's eyes were no longer brown. They had changed to a very light silver. He looked at the expression of his new little friend.

"Cho?"

"Your eyes," she said quietly.

Koyote looked at his hands and noticed he had gotten much paler.

"What did you do to me?"

"I think I just successfully gave you powers," Cho said as she stood up.

Koyote immediately got to his feet and looked around. His world seemed different. He could smell everything and hear everything. He looked back at Cho. There was a strange voice in his head, a howling that echoed loudly in thoughts that he couldn't silence. He tried to scream but the sound drowned it out.

"You are now my vessel and I will use you to serve your magician," the voice shrieked.

Cho stood back and saw a mark on her arm in the shape of a crescent moon. Koyote had the same mark on his arm and they both made eye contact.

"Oh my god," Koyote muttered.

Cho stood there with a smirk edging her lips.

* * *

The girls met at the lab and Mamo had stopped vibrating. Leo looked at Mamo and the other girls.

"That's weird. The threat went away," Mamo said suddenly.

"Hmm, strange," Amber replied.

"Maybe Cho took care of it," Yogurt said as she took a seat.

Dannie and Leo both rolled their eyes.

"Or she caused the disturbance in the first place. Look we'll regroup in the morning. It's late" Leo said with her arms crossed.

The other girls looked around and Keiichiro and Ryou both agreed with her. Leo grabbed Mamo and walked out of the lab feeling fed up with how everything had been with Cho. Mamo climbed on her shoulder and sat down.

"How's your arm?" Mamo asked quietly.

"Painful. Sore."

"I'm very sorry about what happened earlier. I feel awful about it."

Leo stopped and looked at Mamo. The night breeze swept up her hair and she chuckled softly. Mamo titled his head curiously, wondering why his friend was smiling.

"I don't think you understand how amazing you are. You're programmed to feel everything. Guilt, curiosity, wonderment, and a variety of other human emotions. Mamo, I don't think you should ever apologize for your feelings," Leo said sweetly as she pecked the top of his head.

Mamo purred softly and huddled closer to her. She continued her walk home and only thought about how Mamo was her best friend.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: I've been busy eating fries and watching Pewdiepie. Just kidding... not really. College, work, and boyfriend have been a thing in my life so I haven't been spending much time writing but I promise this story is still alive. Thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoy this mediocre Mew Mew trash. I love you thank you bye_**


	9. The Howl

Leo sat on the school roof as usual with Usagi. Mamo climbed on top of Usagi's shoulder and sat down. Leo and Usagi were both shocked to see Mamo actually sit on someone other than Leo's shoulder for once.

"Mamo?" Leo asked in shock.

"What? He's your boyfriend right? Besides he's taller with broader shoulders," Mamo replied indifferently.

Usagi patted Mamo's head and scratched him behind his ear. Mamo purred and curled around Usagi's neck. Leo giggled and scooted closer to him.

"You know I got shot yesterday," Leo said as she lifted her sore injured arm.

"Oh my god, are you okay? Doesn't it hurt?" Usagi nearly shrieked.

"Yeah to both questions but it's fine. I'm used to being injured on the battlefield. Comes with the whole Mew Mew job."

"Still, Leo, I'm worried about you."

Leo smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders.

"I know and thank you. You don't know how refreshing it is to be in love with someone who cares but in all the right ways. Actually… Apollo came to my rescue when I got into a confrontation with Cho and anyway long story short Apollo and his older brother are still in contact with Rabbit. Apparently he got married," Leo said as she leaned her head on his shoulders.

Usagi ruffled up her hair.

"That's good news isn't it?" Usagi asked.

"Yeah it is. And maybe we'll get married too someday."

Leo covered her mouth and quickly tried to cover up her statement. Mamo couldn't help but giggle and he quickly called her out on it.

"Leo Aoyama, jumping the gun aren't you?" Mamo teased playfully.

"That wasn't what you thought it was, okay, I didn't mean any of that!" Leo barked quickly.

"If you want to get married I don't mind. Not everyone gets to marry a magical tiger warrior."

Leo felt her face heat up and she quickly covered her face. Usagi chuckled and nudged her.

"I'm just kidding."

"I know but it doesn't change the reaction."

Usagi pecked her forehead and grabbed her hand. Leo smiled shyly and squeezed his hand back.

* * *

Cho sat on the rug in Koyote's apartment and just stared at him while he stared at her back. She narrowed her eyes and studied his expression.

"Sit," Cho said in a commanding voice.

"Nice try but it doesn't work that way," Koyote replied as he turned his head to light a cigarette.

"Roll over."

"Nope."

"Speak."

Koyote rolled his eyes and relaxed on his couch. Cho leaned forward and thought of another command.

"Kill."

"Listen kid, you can believe what you want, but I'm not a dog who will just magically listen to you."

They both stopped what they were doing when the door opened. Koyote sat up and was happy to see his girlfriend had finally returned home. She was tall and slender with long dark brown hair. Her eyes were a soft rose color and she had delicate features.

"Koy?" She asked as she walked in and noticed her boyfriend looked strange.

"Yoko, I'm so glad to see you. How are you?" Koyote asked as he stood up and went to greet her.

"Who is that?" Yoko asked as she pointed at Cho.

"His master," Cho replied curtly with a devious smirk on her face.

"She's a kid I've been taking care of. She's also a little crazy, don't mind her," Koyote replied quickly as he shot a glare at Cho.

"What happened to you? Why are you so pale? Are those contacts in your eyes? Did your hair get darker?" Yoko asked as she approached him and touched him.

His skin was cold and it almost felt lifeless. She jerked her hand back and stared at her boyfriend in fear. Something about Koyote was different and she knew there was more to it than just his appearance.

"Koyote…," she peeped in horror.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly as he grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me! I don't know you!"

She quickly ran off and Koyote ran after her to stop her. Cho decided Yoko would be a good victim to test how much control she had over Koyote. She quickly followed the couple outside.

* * *

"I said BARK!" Cho barked loudly.

Koyote and Yoko were busy arguing and he quickly turned towards Cho.

"No! Not right now Cho! Fuck off!" Koyote demanded.

Cho grew frustrated with her lack of power. She quickly ran off to study the book to figure how to control him. Koyote calmed down when Cho finally left him alone. He turned to Yoko and grabbed her hand.

"Why don't you trust me? What's wrong with you?" He asked firmly.

"I always knew you were up to no good and I always knew you were using crime to pay for our survival but Koyote look at you! Why are you so pale!? Why are you so cold and… and lifeless? You look like a zombie for God's sake!"

Koyote scratched his head and wasn't sure how to justify the fact that his little friend was dipping into demonology.

"Yoko, I'm just going to show you this," Koyote showed the crescent moon on his arm.

"A tattoo? I don't care about it! I care about what's happening with my boyfriend! My sister warned me of dating a gangster, she did but I didn't care. I thought it was fine but clearly she was right. I can't deal with this anymore Koyote."

"It's not a tattoo. It's a mark."

"What's the fucking difference?"

Koyote put his hands in his pockets and he could see Yoko was ready to leave for good. He took a deep breath and decided it was a good idea to let her go. He cared about her safety and he knew Cho would either kill her or torment her till she left.

"Alright, alright, listen I got possessed yesterday by a wolf demon. So now I have this howling in the head that never stops and drives me absolutely insane. I can't even hear my own thoughts. When I try to sleep I'm only greeted with this thing stuck inside of me and it talks to me until I wake up. I have this mark from the whole thing."

Yoko stared at him wide eyed.

"Oh my god, you absolute psycho! Koyote I'm leaving you!"

Koyote watched her run off quickly and he took a deep breath. He held back his tears and calmly walked back home. He hoped she would be okay after all this. He had a few words for the teenager sitting in his apartment and he was ready to lay into her.

"Cho, listen here you little brat," Koyote barked as he opened his door and found her sitting on the carpet.

She looked up and smiled widely.

"You can transform into a wolf you know," Cho said as she jumped up with excitement.

"You little asshole, listen to me. Yoko and I just broke up and quite frankly I am blaming you for this. Do you even know how long I've been with her!?"

"Who cares? Life easier without all those attachments anyway. Why do you think I left my family? Anyway you'll be better off. Once we achieve complete power it won't matter."

Koyote just stared at the heartless girl. Cho showed no sign of guilt or distress for breaking up his relationship. He sat down and took another deep breath. Cho shrugged her shoulders and showed him the book.

"Put the book down and come over here you megalomaniac," Koyote said as he patted the couch.

Cho begrudgingly closed the book and sat next to him. She crossed her arms and turned her head.

"First thing is you're going to stop this manipulative behavior with me. What you're doing now is not okay and you're trying to guilt trip me for being mad at you. It's not going to work, nice try kid so you might as well drop the attitude," Koyote said firmly.

Cho let out a loud grunt and stayed firm.

"Alright fine stay mad but it's not making me feel bad. Second of all, who hurt you?"

Cho uncrossed her arms and faced him.

"What?" She asked in disbelief.

"Who hurt you? Why are you like this? I'm not an armchair therapist or anything but honestly you clearly got some demons if you're this freaking heartless. If we're going to be partners and if I'm going to let you stay here you should at least let me know what's going on upstairs."

Cho crossed her legs and sat up.

"Well I don't know. I have things to prove."

"To who? You have a normal family."

"I was pushed around a lot school but that's not why. I just feel like I could be doing bigger things in my life than just the regular crap every other girl's worried about. Who cares about school, marriage, and children, when you could be swimming in a pool of luxury and money. I don't have to sit here and follow false expectations laid down by society when I could get whatever I want. I'm sure you of all people understand that. Who needs to follow someone else's rules when you could follow your own."

"Alright, did you have any dreams before you got consumed by this madness?"

"I wanted to be a dancer and a singer. I went out my way to get to know Anastasia so I could get my foot in the door to become a celebrity. They have so much influence and people love and adore them. I thought I was pretty good at performing but I guess they didn't like my act. I did a dark performance and every other broad did a stupid rendition of one of Anastasia's songs. It doesn't matter though, I'll still be famous and I'll take over the world. Anyway I'd get tired with performing."

"You're such a smart kid though, I'm surprised you didn't want to do anything related to math or science."

"Well I can use that to my advantage but no I never considered going into a STEM field."

Cho and Koyote sat quietly for a bit. He looked over at her and noticed the heart shaped beauty mark on her cheek.

"Were you born with that?" Koyote asked as he pointed it out.

Cho brushed her fingers on her cheek and she looked away nervously.

"Well duh why I would put this here on purpose?"

"I just think it's cute. I take it other people have given you shit about it and asked if it was a tattoo on your face?"

Cho nodded quietly. Koyote scooted closer to her and she rubbed her arm nervously.

"Do people often tell you how adorable you are?" He asked playfully.

"No… but I don't need anyone to tell me they think I'm adorable. They can all piss off."

"Oooh am I tugging at an insecurity?"

Cho puffed her cheeks and she quickly shook her head. She crossed her arms and slid off the couch. Koyote grabbed her arms and sat her back up.

"You've got pride issues don't you?" Koyote asked.

"No."

"Yes you do. I do too so I know it when I see it."

Cho looked over at Koyote. He rubbed her cheek affectionately and she looked immediately uncomfortable. She squirmed uncomfortably when he put his arm around her.

"Did your parents ever hug you?" Koyote asked quickly.

"No. And I don't like people touching me."

"Well I'm a hugger so you're going to hate living with me."

Cho stood up from the couch and rubbed her arm. Koyote chuckled when he noticed her red face and she quickly retreated to the bathroom making the excuse that she had to use it.

Leo and her friends were walking to the lab after school. Apollo was hoping to see Yogurt that day. He didn't see her as often as he liked to and that was mostly thanks to them going to different schools. Jojo and Amber held hands and spoke to each other with gentle voices. Leo looked back at them and turned to Apollo.

"They're so cute," she muttered quietly.

"Hm, I suppose," Apollo replied indifferently.

"So how far have you and Yogurt gotten in your relationship?" Leo asked slyly.

Mamo nearly fell off her shoulder at the question. He gathered himself back and rested his head on her neck. Apollo glanced at her and quickly responded to her question.

"What are you implying?" He asked as he shifted uncomfortably.

* * *

Leo folded her hands and narrowed her eyes with a cheeky smile spreading across her face.

"I mean how far have you gotten? Have you guys went beyond on kissing or have you hit home run yet?" Leo asked.

"Isn't that a personal question? I don't understand why I should answer that question at all because last I checked sex is a personal thing."

Leo and Mamo both covered their faces. Jojo and Amber overheard and quickly caught up to them to see what was happening.

"What?" Amber asked curiously.

"Leo is stepping out of her boundaries," Apollo replied with his arms crossed.

"What? I just asked a simple question okay it's not a big deal," Leo barked defensively.

"Leo, aren't you a bit bold to be asking things like that? Especially to Apollo?" Jojo asked jokingly.

Leo hugged Mamo to her chest and looked away feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sure everyone's already done it so it doesn't matter," she replied defensively.

Amber placed her hand on her chest chuckled arrogantly.

"I'm as a clean as a porcelain doll. Besides not everyone has already done it. That's a myth that every teenager wants to get laid. Most of the time it happens after we turn eighteen, Leo. Are you already thinking about Usagi like that? You move fast. He's cute and all but damn. Just claw the boy why don't you?" Amber said while laughing and nudging her friend.

Leo looked at Mamo and then back at Amber. Jojo and Apollo both went quiet when they noticed the look on her face. She shook her head and nervously laughed it off.

"Y-yeah… of course," Leo said before she walked ahead of everyone else.

Mamo looked up at her with sympathetic eyes. She looked down at him and gave him a nervous smile.

"Unless there's something you wanna tell us," Apollo said as he caught up to her.

Leo looked over at him and shook her head.

"Like what?" Leo asked as she gave him a nervous smile.

"Like maybe you don't want to feel left out."

"Oh please. It doesn't matter and anyway you said it was personal so sorry I asked."

Apollo sighed and nudged her.

"C'mon if you answer I'll answer. I mean Amber already admitted to being a virgin so she technically answered the question."

"I've never done it either but that was pretty obvious," Jojo replied.

"See Jojo answered it too," Apollo added.

"Okay and you?" Leo asked quickly.

"And me? Truth is I haven't yet," Apollo replied finally.

"Okay geez that didn't take much did it. So we're all good," Leo said nervously.

She didn't want her friends to look at her differently.

"Okay then but you still haven't answered it," Apollo muttered.

"Well I love him and Usagi is everything I could ask for so I… I mean it doesn't matter does it?" Leo replied quickly.

"There's a lot emotions going into a new relationship. Sometimes we ask things to feel included. You guys are all in relationships too so you must understand that drive," Mamo said curtly.

Leo stared at him while he sat on her shoulder with his back straight and his head high. The other three stared at Mamo before dropping the subject. Leo placed her hands behind her back and looked at the ground. Amber and Jojo walked passed her and Apollo placed a gentle hand on Leo's shoulder. He leaned close to her and whispered to her.

"I know you guys hit home run and if it means anything to you I've been trying too. We move at different speeds."

Leo looked over at him in shock.

"Wha…? I didn't…," Leo hesitated.

"I'm not saying it's super important or anything, but… I guess it's that drive and the feelings that come with it."

"It's different afterwards," Leo admitted quietly.

Apollo stopped and looked at her with small smirk on his face. Mamo slid into Leo's hands and she held him close to her chest.

"It's weird but things aren't the same afterwards. I feel more attached to him," she said quietly as she stroked Mamo's head.

"I'll take your word for it. Something like that is special."

Leo nodded sweetly. Apollo looked ahead and saw Jojo and Amber were way ahead of them. It seemed like they were too invested in each other's conversation to notice Leo and Apollo had stopped. He sighed and turned towards Leo. He made a gesture and she nodded again. They both walked side by side in silence going over the conversation they just had with each other. Leo looked over at Apollo and studied the blank expression on his face. It was clear he was in deep in thought. She looked at Mamo and continued petting him. His soft purring always made her feel better.

* * *

They arrived at the lab to find their friends already there. Dannie sat with her legs crossed and her nose in a book. Anastasia was busy with paperwork but Yogurt wasn't anywhere to be found. Apollo looked around carefully for the love of his life but he didn't pick up her scent anywhere. His friends took a seat and joined the other two.

"Where's Yogurt?" Apollo asked finally.

"She said she was coming but that was thirty minutes ago," Dannie replied indifferently.

"She hasn't showed or called since?"

"No."

Apollo glared at Dannie for her detached behavior. He scoffed and took a seat. Ryou and Keiichiro walked in and greeted everyone.

"Ladies," Ryou said, commanding their attention.

The girls looked up, clearly uninterested in whatever Ryou had to say.

"I see I have your attention. I have good news. We got approved to rebuild Cafe Mew Mew."

"Oh thank goodness, I miss having paychecks," Leo replied happily.

Ryou glared at the girl and shook his head.

"We don't have to work if we don't want to right? Besides my uniform doesn't fit me anymore. I'm not the same size as I was before when I was twelve," Amber whined impatiently.

"Well I agree about the uniform thing. I definitely can't fit mine either," Anastasia agreed.

"Same here," Leo added.

Dannie nodded along with other girls.

"Ah yes we know, you all suddenly have massive hips," Ryou said jokingly.

"My hips aren't massive! How dare you!?" Amber barked angrily.

Leo stood up and looked in the mirror. She definitely filled out in the past four years. She felt her face go red and she immediately hugged herself insecurely. Dannie quickly tugged at her skirt to hide her thighs. Keiichiro and Ryou both noticed their reactions.

"I was only joking! Sorry that's how puberty works, excuse me for pointing it out," Ryou replied quickly in his defense.

"It's still rude! I could point your crows feet but I haven't yet!" Amber shouted as she crossed her arms.

Ryou covered his face and looked away. Keiichiro giggled at the way his collegue reacted.

"Oh c'mon Ryou, don't dish it out if you can't take it," Keiichiro said jokingly.

"Girls love it when you point out how thick they are. I don't see the problem!" Ryou replied angrily.

"Not teenagers."

"Well I'm not a teenager and I'd still like it better if my uncle didn't point out that I went from a C cup to a DD cup," Anastasia retorted as she crossed her arms.

Zakuro walked in and only heard a glimpse of the conversation but she quickly agreed with her daughter.

"She's right you know," Zakuro said as she walked by.

"Alright fine let's just drop it. We'll take your measurements and start making new uniforms for you ladies. How's that huh? And if it makes you feel better Lettuce and Zakuro can do it so we're not making you uncomfortable," Ryou replied.

"I appreciate it much better, thank you Daddy," Dannie answered sweetly as she gave her father a cute smile.

Ryou crossed his arms and turned away from the group. Keiichiro gave off a nervous laughter and quickly offered the girls tea as compensation for the uncomfortable conversation. The girls were happy to have it. Apollo looked around again and he quickly grew concerned at the thought that Yogurt hadn't shown up yet. He stood up and Jojo noticed him step outside. Jojo quickly got up to follow him. Amber grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly.

"I'll be back don't worry," he replied softly as he pecked her hand.

Amber let go and watched him walk out the door. He saw Apollo holding his phone to his ear and waiting for an answer. He took a step back and stayed quiet. He noticed his friend quickly put his phone away and take a deep breath.

"Is everything okay?" Jojo asked quickly.

Apollo looked over at him and crossed his arms. He shook his head and stared at the ground with furrowed expression plastered on his face. Jojo hung out with Apollo a lot. He knew his silence meant something was wrong. He stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Apollo looked over at him and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm worried about her," Apollo muttered finally.

"Go check on her," Jojo replied with a gentle voice.

Apollo looked over at him and nodded.

"If the others ask you can tell them I went to go see if she's okay. I'll be back if everything is fine," Apollo said before parting.

Jojo nodded and walked back inside the lab.

* * *

Apollo quickly made his way to Yogurt's house. He hoped she was okay. He saw her home coming up and quickly made his way to the door. He knocked on it and impatiently waited for someone to answer the door.

"Oh hey!" Pudding answered as she opened the door with a bright smile on her face.

"Afternoon Mrs. Fong, um… where's Yogurt?" Apollo asked.

Pudding heard the anxiousness in his voice. She gave him a sympathetic smile and welcomed him in.

"She's in her room. She was heading to the lab but she was already feeling sick. So she called her father and he came and got her. She's been asleep since. You're welcome to go up and check on her," Pudding said sweetly.

Apollo thanked her and headed up the stairs to see if she was okay. He knocked on her door but there was no answer. He turned the doorknob and found her door open. He quietly stepped in and saw his beloved sound asleep and her phone sitting on her nightstand, charging. He closed the door behind himself and walked up to her. He gently pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and felt how hot she was. He sat at the end of her bed and gently stroked her hair.

"I was worried about you, you goober. There's very few people who will make my heart leap into my throat and you're one of them," Apollo whispered quietly.

Yogurt adjusted herself and pulled her blanket over her shoulder. Apollo understood she needed her rest and he started to get up to leave.

"Alright I'll let you rest," he murmured quietly.

"Apollo…?" she peeped tiredly.

He looked over at her and sat back down. He reached for her hand and she sat up to rub her eyes with her free hand. Her soft yellow eyes gazed at him feverishly and she gave him a tired but gentle smile.

"I was worried about you. I wish you would say something when you're not feeling well so I'm not sitting here panicking," Apollo scolded gently.

"I'm sorry," Yogurt responded in a husky voice.

"It's okay. Do you need water? You look dehydrated."

"No I'm fine. I'm just happy you're here."

Apollo scooted closer to her and rubbed her cheek affectionately.

"You shouldn't stay long. I don't want you to catch my cold," she urged gently.

"I'm not even human. I can't catch your cold even if I wanted to."

"Well even still I don't want you to carry it."

"I literally can't carry it."

"Well I guess it's fine then isn't it?"

Apollo chuckled warmly and nodded. The warm smile on his face made her feel better.

"I'll stay with you till it gets dark," Apollo said as he wrapped his arms around her.

She hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and took in his scent. He always smelled like cologne with subtle a hint of smoke. She actually liked it.

"Can you do a cool trick?" Yogurt asked as she parted and hugged her pillow.

"What kinda trick?"

"My favorite one."

Apollo shrugged and he used his hands to create mini fireworks. She watched the lights pop off from his fingers and she couldn't help staring in awe. She loved it when he did something cool. She tilted her head in amazement as she watched her boyfriend create a tiny light show for her.

"I better stop before I set your house on fire," he said jokingly.

She giggled a bit before going into a coughing fit. He leaned over and rubbed her back before urging her to lay down. She grabbed his hand and held it tight while he stroked her head.

"I love you," she peeped quietly.

Apollo kissed her forehead and rubbed noses with her.

"I love you too," he whispered to her.

She smiled and he continued whispering sweet nothings to her. She felt butterflies in her stomach and goosebumps rise on her skin whenever he spoke to her like that. His voice had naturally deepened when he got older and the sound of it always sent shivers down her spine. When they first met his voice would frequently crack and she always thought that was kind of cute and a little funny but he grew out of it.

* * *

Apollo kept his promise and stayed till nightfall. He parted from Yogurt and wished her a good night before leaving. After he left he made his way home feeling relieved that nothing bad happened to her. He was at peace before he heard a loud howl. He felt the hair on the back his neck stand up before he picked up the peculiar scent of a wolf. He looked around and narrowed his eyes. He followed the sound of the howling to see where it was coming from. The howl got bigger and louder the closer he got. He hopped over bushes and climbed trees to get where he had to go faster. He quickly found himself standing in the middle of a park and found the source of the howling.

The piercing, bloodcurdling sound was coming from a gigantic black wolf. He found Cho sitting on top of it with her little robotic cat sitting on her shoulder. He quickly summoned his warhammer and prepared to fight them.

"Well, well, well, I'm surprised your little Mew Mew friends aren't here to stop me first," Cho said when she noticed Apollo.

"Don't worry about it, they'll get here when they do and when they do we're going to kick your ass," Apollo replied with a snarky smile on his face.

"Pfft and why does it matter to you?"

"We can sit here and talk about me all day but something tells me you just wanna try out your little wolf so consider me your first victim."

Cho narrowed her eyes. She didn't like his cocky attitude and she certainly wasn't going to stand there take that.

"You little asshole! Koyote, attack him!" Cho commanded sharply.

Koyote lunged at Apollo and he quickly swung his warhammer at the giant wolf. The hammer smashed Koyote's paw and nearly shattered it but it quickly healed. Cho cheered when she saw this.

"Alright, Koyote!" She shouted happily.

Koyote slid back and swung his paw at Apollo. He used his hammer to block the attack and took that liberty to attack again. He blew fire at Koyote and Cho quickly ducked into his fur to keep from being burned. Koyote knocked her off his back and protected her with his tail. She stayed behind his large fluffy tail and summoned her sword.

"Ribbon Scarlet Arrow!"

Apollo looked up and saw Amber's arrow hit Cho's arm. She hissed in pain and quickly grabbed the arrow to pull out of her arm. Leo jumped into battle with her sword and attacked Koyote. Anastasia and Dannie ran in to help as well. Apollo was satisfied when team showed up.

"Ribbon Ice Crusher!" Anastasia shouted as she went to shatter Koyote's ribs.

Koyote absorbed the hit and shook it off. He let out a deep growl and it shook the earth beneath them. Dannie tried to keep balance but fell to her knees. She dug her triton into the dirt and held onto it for stability.

"You can try to defeat me but it's impossible with my newly transformed partner here! We'll kill you and that's just the facts," Cho squawked proudly as she held onto Koyote's tail for support.

"I don't know what you did to him but we'll defeat him too!" Dannie barked.

"HA! In your dreams Dannie!"

The girls all rolled their eyes and started attacking again. Koyote stood up on his hind legs and swatted Amber when she charged after him. She flew into a tree and fell through it. Her back was in pain after the impact.

"Ugh ow…," she grumbled as she tried to get up and grab her bow.

Leo looked over at Amber and quickly looked over at Koyote.

"Ribbon Pink Tiger Stripes!" Leo shouted angrily as she launched herself into the air.

She managed to stab Koyote in the throat and he let out a deep gurgling sound after she pulled her sword away. He fell to the ground and rolled over on his back. Cho gripped her sword tightly and narrowed her eyes.

"You'll pay for that you dirty animal!"

"Oh boo hoo," Leo mocked.

Cho swung her sword at Leo and she quickly blocked it. She used her strength to shove Cho back and she tripped over herself. Nori flew at Leo to distract her and Mamo quickly shoved her out of the way and tackled her. He drew out his claws and scratched her face.

"You mess with her, you mess with me," Mamo hissed angrily.

Cho noticed Mamo's claws and she forgot to equip her partner with the same thing. Leo pointed her sword at her and Cho quickly scrambled to get out of the way. She got to her feet and swung with all her strength. She succesfully grazed Leo's shoulder and felt a sense of satisfaction when she saw blood on her sword.

"I'm surprised you're able to fight with that injured arm," Cho teased.

"Oh please he shot the wrong arm," Leo replied as she ignored her bleeding arm.

Her pain tolerance had increased quite a bit since becoming a Mew Mew. Cho narrowed her eyes and smiled deviously.

"Oh yeah? Well allow me to cut the other off then."

Leo took a step back when Cho was blasted back with a fireball. She fell face first into the dirt. She looked up and noticed Koyote had returned to his human form and he was holding his throat. He coughed up a bit of blood before standing up. He saw Cho being corned by the Mew Mews.

"Fuck," he groaned as he took a deep breath.

Cho grabbed her sword and hissed at the team while they closed in on her.

"I really don't want to kill you but you're not giving us much of a choice are you," Dannie said as she raised her triton.

"Fucking do it! I bet you won't you coward! You've never killed anyone in your life!" Cho taunted with a dirty look on her face.

"Bet I will," Dannie growled.

Before she could, the massive black wolf jumped in and the girls scattered quickly to avoid being stepped on. Koyote let out a piercing howl and the girls quickly covered their ears. While they were recovering from the sound he quickly picked up Cho gently and tossed her onto his back before scurrying off.

"THAT'S RIGHT RUN YOU COWARDS!" Dannie screamed as loud as she could.

Anastasia placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Dannie raised a hand and sighed.

"I'm fine, I'm calm," she said quickly.

Leo looked over at Apollo and thanked him for standing his ground until they were able to handle it. Mamo flew over to her and sat on her shoulder.

"You're bleeding," he said as pointed her injury out.

Leo looked at her injury and sighed.

"I know."

The other girls looked around and decided it was time to call it a night and go home.

"I doubt she's going to cause anymore trouble for the rest of the night," Anastasia said firmly.

"What did she do to him?" Amber asked finally.

"Koyote? I have no idea but it's absolutely terrifying," Apollo replied.

"Where's Yogurt?" Leo asked when she noticed their ferret friend never showed up.

"Home, she's running a fever."

The girls nodded and they agreed it was time to go home.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** **I actually had this chapter done for like over a month now. But anyway thanks for bearing with me. I'm currently in the process of working on the next chapter. Chapter ten is going to be very, very long and I don't want to push it to chapter eleven. Thanks.**


	10. Flowers

The girls all stood around the construction site and watched the workers start with the foundation. Anastasia leaned on the fence and sighed loudly.

"It's kinda nice," Yogurt said sweetly as she crossed her arms.

"Hm, yeah… nice to see it coming back," Anastasia replied.

The others just stared beyond the fence.

"It's weird though. Seeing it come back I mean. After Rabbit destroyed it I thought I'd never see you guys or the cafe again," Leo said.

"The food was so good so I'm happy we're getting that back," Amber added.

The others agreed with her. The girls decided to stay a bit longer before leaving. Once they had enough they grabbed their things and started heading home.

"Hey guys," Apollo said when he happened to be in the area. Fox was with him. The girls waved and said hello.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked.

"Taking a walk and hanging out. So that's the cafe huh?"

"Yep, we can't wait to see it when it's done."

Yogurt ran over to Apollo and hugged him. He hugged her back and patted her head. The other girls all had smiles on their faces and thought it was so cute how Apollo showed so much affection towards her. Anastasia's smile faded when she noticed Fox staring at her. She quickly turned her head and tried to act like she didn't notice. She caught him approaching her from the corner of her eye.

"Afternoon, Ms. Akasaka, how are you?" Fox asked smoothly.

"Fine," she replied curtly.

"Are you busy this weekend?"

"Why?"

"I wanted to ask you out."

Everyone turned in their direction and stared at Anastasia. She felt her face turning red and she quickly tried to brush him off.

"Um uh…, n-no I can't. I'm um… busy. Busy with other things," Anastasia replied quickly as she pushed her hair out of her face.

"No you're not," Dannie chimed in with a devious smirk on her face.

"Hey I can take rejection sweetheart," Fox assured her.

Anastasia glared at Dannie before looking back over at Fox. She was about to speak up and reject him but Leo and Amber jeered at her.

"C'mon Anastasia give him a chance, besides it's not like you're dating anyone," Leo barked.

"When's the last time you went on a date?" Amber asked loudly.

Anastasia glared at them and she quickly crossed her arms. She soon rubbed her arm uncomfortably and faced Fox.

"What do you have in mind for a date?"she asked begrudgingly.

"I figured dinner and movie but I also like to be unpredictable. Why don't I just pick you up?" Fox replied, feeling proud of himself.

Anastasia nodded awkwardly and gave him a wry smile.

"Great, see you Saturday. C'mon Apollo."

Apollo kissed Yogurt goodbye and followed his brother. Anastasia watched him leave and she only felt embarrassment. She took a deep breath and turned to her friends.

"What the hell!? You guys just forced me into going on a date with that animal!" She scolded angrily.

"What? You might have fun and if things don't work out you can just dump him," Dannie replied indifferently.

"She's right," Amber added.

"You and Fox make a cute couple anyway. Weren't you the one who helped him several times?" Leo asked slyly.

"Well yes but that wasn't because I was romantically interested in him. It's because I have this natural human thing called empathy? Hello? Excuse me that you all mistaken my kindness for flirting," Anastasia protested.

"Okay you're right and I'm sorry but you honestly might have a good time. Sometimes you just need a little push," Leo replied as she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. Especially with Cho running around summoning demons."

"Drive the nail in the coffin. Okay we're sorry," Amber replied.

"I'm not sorry. A little nonsense will help spice up your boring popstar life. You're welcome," Dannie said with an apathetic expression plastered on her face.

Anastasia glared at her and she really wanted to yell at her. How could her best friend do this to her? Anastasia didn't want to talk about it anymore and stomped off. Leo and Amber faced Dannie.

"Dannie do you know how mean you can be sometimes?" Amber asked.

"You were all in it too. And I was being honest. I'm not sorry in the slightest. Anastasia might have fun and again if it goes completely wrong she can just dump him. It's no big deal," she responded indifferently.

Leo thought about it for a moment before she brought something up.

"Are you seeing someone right now?" Leo asked curiously.

"Me? Oh god no, I don't do companionship. My life is too insane and sporadic for me to even entertain another human. Besides what do people even do in relationships? Feed and water their partner? Pfft get real. If you think I'd waste my time with love then I've got bad news for you."

"A bit hypocritical."

"Not at all. I know Anastasia, queen of romance and fairytale crap. She's been looking lately and I know cause she's pointed out every sweaty animal that resembles some sort of attractive feature. It's kinda annoying but she'll be excited to be going out. And that's one less thing I have to hear about."

Amber turned towards Leo and shrugged. Yogurt tilted her head and was still trying to figure out why Dannie was so opposed to the idea of romance. She thought it was a wonderful feeling.

"You're missing out," she said finally.

"I don't need a gross, hungry, whining, sweaty, man to burden me with romance. It's asinine and there's nothing pleasurable about having to constantly talk to someone everyday and forcefully give them your time because if you don't they'll feel neglected. You can try to hype it up all you want but my feelings remain the same. It's not magical and I'm not missing out on anything special. Also if you think I need a man to be happy you're off your rockers. A chick like me is better off single and happy than tied up and miserable. Also the idea of childbirth and starting a family makes me want to puke. That's what comes with this stuff. It starts off harmless and then suddenly your animal wants sex and with sex comes attachment and feelings and it's just a downward spiral from there."

"You've made your point thanks," Leo replied quickly.

"Do you know how fat you get after having kids? They totally wreck your perfect figure," Dannie continued.

"Oof, alright I get it. Sorry I asked."

"I'm one step ahead of Mother Nature and I already know how that infatuation stage makes you crazy."

"Stop beating a dead horse. I get you. You don't want a relationship. Don't make it seem like it's such a bad thing. If you're happy single then I'll respect that. We all will, right guys?"

Amber and Yogurt both nodded quickly. They were definitely over the conversation. Dannie shrugged and started heading home. The girls all decided they would do the same and said their goodbyes to each other.

* * *

Leo sat in her room with Mamo sitting next to her. She sighed and stared at the painting Usagi made for her. She missed him even though she had seen him that morning. She remembered Dannie's tangent and just chuckled in spite of herself.

"You know I think Dannie's right about everything she said," Leo said quietly.

"Yeah but it's natural. If love wasn't a madness there's no way a species would stay alive especially something as intelligent as humans. Something has to give and take over your sanity so you can keep it populated. It's no one's fault," Mamo replied tiredly.

"Hmm yeah I know. I was thinking about how I miss Usagi already."

Mamo rolled over and yawned. He stretched himself out and lied down. Leo decided to text her boyfriend. She lied on her bed and grabbed her phone.

"I really actually kinda… love him," Leo said out loud to herself.

Mamo opened one eye and a small smile stretched across his face.

* * *

Anastasia sat in her bedroom and brushed her long black violet hair in front of her vanity. She was wearing her nightgown and she was getting ready for bed. A knock came on her door and she gave whoever it was the okay to come in.

"Just wanted to say good night," Zakuro said sweetly as she opened the door.

Anastasia sighed and nodded.

"Good night Mom," she replied.

"Hmm if I didn't know any better I'd say you're upset."

Anastasia put her brush down and turned towards her mother.

"I got talked into going on a date with Fox."

Zakuro sat on her daughter's bed and placed her hands in her lap.

"Fox? Really?"

"He's taking me out on Saturday."

"I see. Why didn't you just say you weren't interested?"

"I tried but obviously it didn't work out that way."

Zakuro crossed her arms and she smirked with amusement.

"Maybe it'll work out and you'll finally move out."

Anastasia's shoulders slumped.

"It's cheaper to live with you guys and pay rent. And I don't want to move in with him. Or date him. I don't want much of anything to do with Fox."

Zakuro crossed her legs.

"I think it's time for my little dove to fly out her nest. Fox might be a great push and help you grow up a little," she said as she stood up. She placed her hands on Anastasia's shoulders. "And sometimes a significant other will get you to do that more quickly."

"Mom," Anastasia whined.

Zakuro placed her hands on Anastasia's cheeks.

"Your father may be sweet about it but I know it's time for my little girl to grow up."

Anastasia watched her mother leave. She groaned and got up. She lied on her canopy bed and grabbed her pillow.

"Ugh," she muttered quietly to herself.

Even her mom was against her.

* * *

Zakuro and Keiichiro sat together and quietly read and drank tea. She adjusted herself and turned towards him.

"Guess who has a date on Saturday," she said gently.

"Who?"

"Anastasia."

"A date as in with a guy?"

"Yes."

Keiichiro shifted uncomfortably. He tried to smile but he ended up twisting his face awkwardly.

"Great," he replied.

Zakuro raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

"You can't possibly be that overprotective over her. She's twenty years old. It's about time she goes off on her own. I don't see the problem. She already has her career."

"Well maybe she just doesn't feel comfortable about moving out and besides she's safer here. She's got us."

"She's a Mew Mew, I'm not worried about her safety. Keiichiro you gotta help me. We need to stay consistent and we need to start putting nails in her nest so she'll fly out. You know light her seat on fire. Get her to go."

"Anastasia is beautiful and young and I just don't feel comfortable with her on her own."

Zakuro stared at him. She sighed loudly and shook her head.

"She's twenty," she repeated.

"But she's also our daughter."

"Exactly and she needs to move out and be an adult."

They both felt uncomfortable with each other's ideas. Zakuro wished he wasn't such a pushover when it came to Anastasia. She loved that he loved her but he was sheltering her a bit too much. Zakuro had to figure out how to get him on board with her idea instead.

* * *

Anastasia was in the studio the next day recording a song for her latest album. She sat in her dressing room and stared into the mirror and tried to get herself together.

"Alright can't mix work with personal life. Get the song done and go home," she said to herself as she put her hair up.

"Anastasia?" Dannie said as she opened the door.

"Yeah? I mean I'm coming," she replied quickly as she stood up.

Dannie nodded and held the door open. The two girls walked down the hallway and Dannie was busy briefing Anastasia on all the things she had to do that day. She tried listening to her friend but she could only think about the date she had with Fox on Saturday. She wondered if he was going to stick with dinner and a movie or if not what surprise he might have instored for them. She hoped it wasn't going to be bad. She hoped it didn't involve sitting in his house watching a movie so he could make a move on her quickly. She took a deep breath and tried to silence those thoughts. She looked over at Dannie and saw her nose in the clipboard.

"And at noon tomorrow you have to start shooting the music video for your new single so we should probably visit the costume department and see if they have everything done or not," Dannie went on.

Anastasia nodded and crossed her arms.

"What do you think Fox will do for our date?" She asked out loud.

Dannie stopped speaking and turned to Anastasia. They both stopped walking and she shrugged her shoulders awkwardly.

"I don't know? But maybe this isn't exactly the time to be worried about it," Dannie replied indifferently.

"Well yeah but,"

"But, but, but work is more important right now. So let's get this stuff done before we start thinking about dumb boys. C'mon we're running late. Studio time is precious."

Dannie pushed Anastasia along. She was glad she had a friend like her but she also kind of hoped Dannie would entertain her thoughts for just a moment.

* * *

Anastasia staggered into the lab later that night, exhausted from her day, and plopped onto the couch. She stared at the ceiling and could only think about how fed up and tired she was over being so anxious about her date. Pai happened to be there doing late night research.

"You're here early," he said sarcastically.

"Hmm well if I go home and express my grievances to my mother she'll only brush me off."

Pai just nodded. Anastasia adjusted herself and stared at him.

"If a woman you had no interest in asked you out and your friends wanted you to go out with her, what would you do?" she asked suddenly.

"I'd tell her I'm not interested and I'd tell my friends to leave me alone."

"Really? You wouldn't feel bad for rejecting her?"

"No."

Anastasia sighed and rested her head and arms on the arm of the couch. Pai turned towards her in his swivel chair and raised an eyebrow. This was a good reason why he didn't want children. If they were dealing with these kinds of issues he certainly wouldn't know how to help them. He sighed and tried his best to be parental.

"So what's wrong? Are you in that situation?" He asked awkwardly.

"Yes. Fox asked me out and I didn't want to go, but my friends egged me on and now he's taking me out on Saturday."

"And you won't just cancel?"

"Well I told my mom and she wants me to go too. Everyone keeps saying I might have fun but I doubt it."

Pai leaned back in his chair and folded his hands.

"Well maybe you should just be honest and tell him you have no desire in dating."

Anastasia lifted her head and shook it.

"I'd like to date but I don't want to date him."

"Do you have anyone else in mind?"

"No. But it's Fox. He attempted murder on me and friends many times."

"Yes. But people change."

Anastasia saw the genuine look in his eyes and understood where he was coming from. She nodded slowly and thought about it. Pai turned back to his computer and she quickly got up from the couch.

"Good night," she said finally as she grabbed her things.

Pai simply raised his hand and watched her leave from the corner of his eye.

* * *

Anastasia woke up Saturday morning and stretched herself out. She yawned and looked out of her window. Today was the day and she wondered how to dress. Fox had contacted her the night before and told her he would come around five o'clock. She had a lot of time to think about her outfit and where he might be taking her.

She sat at the table and nibbled on toast while she scrolled through her emails and sighed. She was really trying hard not to think about it but time was just going too slow. She leaned back in her chair and glanced over at the mirror on the wall and saw her messy hair and makeup-less face.

"Oof," she thought to herself as she turned away. "Maybe if I go like this he'll never take me out again."

She giggled to herself and shook off the thought.

* * *

The clocked ticked slowly as the day went on. She was hanging upside down on her couch and watched mindless cartoons. Her parents were out working and she had the house to herself. She sat up slowly and checked the time to see it was three thirty. She quickly jumped off the couch and knew it would take her longer than an hour to get ready. She darted to her room and quickly looked for an appropriate outfit. She found a cute black dress she hadn't worn in a while and picked it. It was casual enough yet cute enough. She nodded and quickly grabbed her black boots and her flesh colored tights and put everything together. She darted out of her room to finally take a shower.

She sat in front of her vanity and spent time putting on her makeup. She struggled a bit with her eyeliner but eventually got it. She heard her doorbell ring and she quickly checked the time.

"Shit," she muttered as she looked back in the mirror. She still had her hair tied up in a bun. She quickly let it down and started brushing it. She rearranged and teased her hair up into a ponytail and let her bangs fall over her face. She took a deep breath and did a double take on how she turned out.

She thought she looked cute. She grabbed her bag and phone and quickly darted out of her room. She opened the door and sure enough there was Fox.

"Hey, wow, you look cute," Fox said immediately.

Anastasia studied him and she hated to admit that he cleaned up very nicely. She took a deep breath and adjusted herself.

"Thanks…, so where are we going?" She asked.

"I don't know about you but I'm absolutely starving. Wanna go for food?"

Anastasia nodded awkwardly and she stepped out. She locked her front door and followed Fox to his car. He opened the passenger seat for her and made a hand gesture.

"It's not a horse and carriage but I hope it's suitable," he said jokingly.

Anastasia rolled her eyes and sat down. She looked at her hands for a moment before she quickly grabbed her seatbelt and buckled herself in. She took a deep breath and composed herself. Fox sat in the driver's seat and started the car. Anastasia was greeted with loud rock music. She jerked back and he giggled nervously and quickly turned to volume down.

"Sorry, you can listen to what you want," he said quickly.

"I don't mind the genre I just think the volume should stay low."

"Ah so be it then."

Fox pulled off and Anastasia was quick to ask where exactly they were headed.

"So there's this diner I really like. And it's not fancy or anything but they serve burgers and pancakes around the clock and I figured it was a step up from fast food. I really hope you like it because personally it's like one of my favorite places. I take Apollo there sometimes when I don't feel like cooking ya know?"

"Oh okay."

"That good?"

"Yeah it's fine."

Fox glanced over at her and saw her shifting uncomfortably. He tried to make small talk with her.

"So what have you been up to?" he asked curiously.

"Putting out a new album," she replied curtly.

"Oh yeah? You're gonna hate me for this but I've never listened to your music before. What kinda genre do you do?"

"Mostly pop."

"Ah very fitting. Kinda like that atmospheric type pop or like just run of the mill pop?"

"More like atmospheric kinda."

"Yeah I know the kinda aesthetic you're talking about."

Anastasia only nodded.

"So like what's your favorite thing about your job?" He asked.

"I don't know? I guess having Dannie by my side at work all the time. She keeps me organized."

"That's cool but like don't you ever feel passionate about writing lyrics or singing?"

"Well yeah I guess."

Fox shrugged and looked forward. Anastasia readjusted herself and looked over at Fox for a brief moment.

"What's your day job anyway?" She asked finally.

"Warehouse stuff."

"Like stocks and all that?"

"I do like inventory stuff. It's boring but it feeds Apollo so eh it is what it is."

"I mean that's sweet that you care about him so much. Don't you miss the moon? Didn't you live in the castle since you were one of Rabbit's friends?"

"Yeah sometimes. I did live there with Serenity and Rabbit and Artemis. Sure I miss them but like it feels actually nice to kinda just do things on our own without help from royalty all the time. You know?"

Anastasia twiddled her thumbs nervously.

"Don't you miss Serenity? Don't you still talk to her?" She asked quietly as she studied her hands.

"I mean I still talk to her but like she left me. I don't want to maintain a long distance relationship and she initiated the relationship and asked me to devote my time to her and she decided Earth was too scary for her. She bailed so honestly I don't have any emotional attachment to her. Is she still my friend? Sure I guess. Do I have any romantic feelings for her? No."

"Yeah…"

"You know I told her I didn't want anything in the time of war. I wasn't ready to start something when my life was at risk. She pursued it anyway. I knew it wouldn't have worked out. Now that I'm more secure I figured hey why not date around and see what's out there. And of course there's this gorgeous girl who is not only talented and beautiful but also helped me rescue my brother a few times. So why not ask her out?"

"Geez. You're just trying to get me to like you."

Fox looked over at her and winked.

"Well yeah and if I get really lucky I think I might get to kiss her at the end of the date."

Anastasia felt her face heat up and she just giggled nervously. Fox nudged her playfully and she rubbed her arm.

* * *

They soon made it to the diner and they both say together. Anastasia stared at the menu and quietly thought about what she wanted. She glanced at Fox and saw him looking at the menu himself. She sighed and her shoulders slumped.

"Milkshakes are good, what's your favorite?" Fox asked suddenly.

Anastasia jerked her head up and she looked around before hesitantly answering his question.

"Uh um…, strawberry," she replied awkwardly.

"Sounds good. So do you know what you're gonna order?"

"Err… I was just thinking of getting a salad."

"Oh yeah? Are you watching your weight? Because you're not fat."

Anastasia bit her lip and Fox tried to laugh off his statement and nodded. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"I mean salads are good of course. I know you're like a pacifist and all that so I assume you're probably vegan or vegetarian."

"Well no. I just thought the salads looked good."

"Of course. I'm sorry."

Anastasia gave him a wry smile and looked down at the table. Fox tried to think of a way to save the conversation. She was definitely hard to talk to.

"I just really want to tell you that you're like super gorgeous and amazing by the way," Fox said smoothly as he gave her a confident smile.

Anastasia rubbed her arm and awkwardly giggled.

"N-no, no not really," she replied nervously.

"I mean you are. You've got the prettiest face I've ever seen."

"There's a ton a women out there I doubt it."

Fox was about to reply but the waitress came to their table ready to take their order. Anastasia quickly made her order and Fox went after her. The waitress wrote everything down before she darted off. Anastasia looked around and noticed there was a bathroom ahead and she quickly excused herself. Fox sat by himself and crossed his arms. He knew she wasn't interested and he preferred she'd have just flat out rejected him instead of subjecting him to this awkward affair. He glanced out of the window and let out a sigh.

"Geez," he muttered quietly to himself.

He quietly rearranged the silverware on the table and folded his napkin several times while he waited for Anastasia to return. He rested his chin in his hand and watched the cars go by.

Anastasia stood in front of the bathroom mirror and took several deep breaths. She smooth out her dress and rearranged her hair.

"Hey, you're Anastasia!" a girl said as she approached her.

Anastasia looked over at her and smiled.

"Hello."

"This is so crazy to meet you here of all places. I mean I love your music. It's so amazing. You know what like I assumed celebrities eat at super fancy places you know? Wow, Anastasia!"

"Oh um well I guess."

The girl continued to ramble on and Anastasia awkwardly waited for her to stop talking.

"Is the guy you're with your boyfriend?" the girl asked suddenly.

"Um no."

"Oh I'm sorry I saw you but I wasn't sure if it was you or not. He's really cute."

"Y-yeah I guess he is."

The girl continued talking about Fox. She rambled on and Anastasia had to stop the girl before she would be stuck in the bathroom forever.

"Well I should get back to him. It was nice meeting you," she said quickly.

"Oh of course. I'm glad I got to meet you too."

Anastasia quickly returned to the table to find the drink she ordered was already there. She saw Fox quietly stirring his drink with his straw. She grabbed her cup and sipped the iced tea from it.

"Hey listen I know this isn't going well so after we're done here I'll just take you home," Fox said quietly.

She looked up at him.

"Oh um," she paused and pushed her hair out of her face. She felt her heartbeat speed up. She once again felt herself biting her lip.

Fox noticed her body language. He sat up and folded his hands in his lap.

"You're just clearly not having any fun and it's just sorta…, you know."

"Well what did you want to do after this?"

"Stargaze maybe? Grab a drink probably? Not too sure, but I don't want to keep you if you're bored and uninterested."

Anastasia took another sip from her drink. Fox shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd love to go stargazing," she muttered softly.

"Really?"

Anastasia nodded and he noticed her eyes did light up when he brought it up. He couldn't hide the smile on his face.

* * *

The two finished their meal and they both sat in the car together. Fox pulled out of the parking lot and headed to another one of his favorite spots. Anastasia stared out of the window. She took a deep breath and her eyes wandered over to Fox's profile. She studied his focused expression while he drove. She noticed his somewhat messy hair and how cute he looked wearing his white collared shirt.

"Thank you," she said finally.

"Hmm," Fox glanced over at her.

They briefly made eye contact and he looked away almost immediately. She chuckled nervously and played with her hands before repeating herself.

"I said thank you…, for buying me dinner I mean," she replied.

"You're welcome. I should've bought you flowers," Fox said jokingly.

"You don't have to."

"I thought girls like flowers."

"Everyone likes flowers. I mean of course flowers are nice but I rather you didn't."

"Well maybe a flower crown then. Can I guess your favorite flower? Is it roses?"

"No."

"Maybe cherry blossoms?"

"No, not that either."

"Give me a hint."

Anastasia giggled and thought about it.

"Peonies."

"I said a hint, not to tell me. Okay fine um my favorite flower is probably going to be apple blossoms. They are really cute. There you get to see a softer side of me."

"I would've never guessed in a million years. I'd assume you'd like roses like everyone else."

"Red roses? Me? Is it cause I'm passionate and fiery?"

"Sure."

Fox nudged her playfully and she smiled this time. She sat back in her seat and relaxed. Fox stopped at a small cliff and parked the car. He got out and opened the door for her. She willingly took the hand he offered her and he escorted her over to the lonely tree . They both sat on the grass and stared at the sky.

They sat in silence for a few moments before they started talking again.

"All in all I hope you don't mind me taking you out. I just want to let you know that I'm interested in you for more reasons than the fact that you're totally beautiful. I admire your strong yet gentle personality and how talented you are. I love the fact that you're so patient. Also I don't know maybe I just have a huge crush on you but there's something about you that I just really like. I can't really describe it," Fox said as he scooted closer to her.

Anastasia felt her heart beating rapidly when she noticed the sweet gaze he was giving her. She bit her lip and tried to find the right words to respond with. She went to reply but she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders.

"It's just weird being out with you like this," she muttered.

"I bet. I didn't know this is where life was going to put me. I mean I'm still wondering how I got to this point."

"I guess when I think of you I just think of you being loud and obnoxious and wild. I just never saw you as a gentle person."

He looked at her and scoffed in spite of himself.

"Yeah that sounds about right to me. I'm not good with my feelings."

"Well why don't you open up more? I bet a guy who loves apple blossoms is probably a very sweet one. I see how you care for Apollo. You can't be that bad, besides you're great at flirting."

Fox chuckled and shrugged.

"Am I really? I thought this whole time I was drying you up."

Anastasia glared at him and rolled her eyes. He leaned closer to her and nudged her.

"Eh am I right? I've never seen someone tell me they didn't want me without saying it so clearly."

"I mean I guess you're not as bad as I thought. Anyway tell me what your home was like," she said as she pointed at the Moon.

"Really?"

"Yeah tell me a story or something."

Fox tapped his chin thoughtfully and he decided to lie back in the grass and stare up at the Moon. He remembered his childhood and he remembered his friendship with Rabbit. He tried to think of something interesting.

"Well um… I mean what do you want to know? There's so much to talk about but a majority is boring."

"How about an embarrassing story?"

"Hmm I've got one. So after Apollo and I moved into the palace we were both still devastated from the loss of our family and I spent a majority of my days comforting him. Anyway I didn't get out a lot because we sorta locked ourselves in our room and never really came out. So Rabbit was still our friend but we didn't really exactly know everything about the palace yet and he invited us to come to his room for like some snacks he snuck out of the kitchen. And I was down for it because I was hungry but I didn't really know where his room was and I was too stubborn to ask anyone where it could be. That and I didn't want anyone to know or think that we were secretly going to be stuffing our faces with stolen food. So long story short I was opening different doors until I opened Serenity's door and I found her standing in her room stark naked singing and dancing. We both screamed and I decided to go back to my room."

"Wow that's awkward."

"Ugh it was awful cause I never heard the end of it. It was like a horrible image burned in my brain. Mind you I was like fourteen when that happened."

Anastasia laughed and she leaned her arms on her knees. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Do you really not feel anything when you think of her?"

"Just the feeling of betrayal. She talked about wanting to be by my side and sticking it out and being together forever whatever but bailed. I gave in because I believed her despite me making it clear I didn't want anything. That shit hurt."

"Yeah I can understand that."

"You get me? But the past is the past. I'm over it."

Anastasia nodded slowly. Fox sat up and smiled at her.

"Well anyway I suppose it's getting late. Are you ready to go home?" He asked gently.

"We can sit here for a little while longer," she replied.

They both sat together and continued talking about different things. Anastasia enjoyed herself and she enjoyed Fox's voice. There something surprisingly calming about it. His laid back relaxed attitude made her feel comfortable. This was a side of him she would never get see had they stayed enemies. The way his hazel eyes sparked under the moonlight seemed so mesmerizing.

* * *

Anastasia finally made it home. Fox was sweet enough to walk her to her door.

"Well this is goodbye my darling little fox," Fox said jokingly with a painfully sweet voice.

"Thank you I actually had a good time. I'm sorry for how things started off."

"Oh it's no problem. Thank you for giving me a chance."

Anastasia nodded and she rocked back and forth in silence. Fox looked at her before he grabbed her hand. In one smooth graceful motion he kissed the back of it. Anastasia felt her face heat up and her heartbeat sped up.

"Bye Anastasia. Have a good night okay?"

"Um uh… huh uh you too…," she replied nervously.

Fox let her hand go and he started to head for his car. Anastasia looked at her feet before she took a deep breath and called out to him.

"Um Fox wait," she called.

She caught herself but he had already given her his undivided attention. She cursed herself quietly while he walked up to her. She bit her lip and just stared at him quietly. Fox averted his eyes before glancing back at her.

"What's up?" He asked suddenly.

That voice.

"Well I think perhaps you got lucky," she nearly whispered.

"Lucky?" Fox paused for a moment and thought about it. He remembered what he said at the start of the date and grabbed her hand.

"I mean I don't know…," she looked away and shrugged.

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

Anastasia stayed stubborn and shrugged a bit. Fox leaned closer to her with a smile on his face. He found it amusing that she couldn't admit what she really wanted. Her face was bright red and she tried to act as though she wasn't interested. He stepped closer to her and slipped his other hand around her waist.

"Hey I'd love to kiss you," Fox said quietly.

Anastasia sighed and looked up at him. She stepped forward and she shyly rocked back and forth. Fox pecked her forehead gently before he leaned a bit closer to her face. She closed her eyes and felt the gentle taste of his lips. She felt shivers run down her spine and she put her arms around him.

"Good night Anastasia," Fox whispered in a slightly husky voice.

"Bye," she replied quietly.

She kissed him again. Fox chuckled slightly in-between each kiss. She looked at him one last time before deciding it was probably time to let him go.

"Alright I didn't mean to keep you."

"I could realistically stand here all night and make out with you but I'm sure you need to get to sleep soon."

"Okay I do."

Fox let her go and waved goodbye. She waved back and watched him make his way back to his car. Anastasia sighed softly and made her way into her house.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Alright I've had this chapter done for longer than I like to admit, same goes for the next two chapters I'm going to post and I'm currently working on chapter 13. I'm sorry I've been busy and I know I keep saying that but I'm serious lol. I turn 22 next week (send help lord). I've been learning how to weld and I'm working on getting an actual career cause adulting is hard. But I hope you enjoyed this and I'm sorry but I never did post that Usagi x Leo sex scene on dA BUT I WILL I PROMISE, I just haven't gotten around to it but who /really/ actually wants to read that? It's awkward, just know that they did the thing and the reason I bring it up is because I might squeeze in a Fox x Anastasia one BUT I'm not sure yet so don't hold me to it cause it'll looked forced if I don't do it right. Thank you for being patient and sticking with me and my shitty fanfictions thus far._


	11. A Hostage

Cho and Koyote sat together watching a TV show they agreed they both liked. She shoved popcorn into her mouth during the late night while her friend lounged slowly drifting off to sleep. She thought it was impressive how people on TV had so much influence. She almost dreamed of being a charismatic singer that everyone loved and looked up to. She thought about how they do incredible music videos and get invited onto talk shows. She thought about how a lot of people would hang on to every word she would say.

"Koyote," she said finally as she turned around.

Koyote sat up a little bit and responded with a grunt.

"Maybe I should get on TV and then everyone will see me and talk about how amazing and beautiful I am."

"Sure kid."

Cho looked back over at the TV and tried to think of a good way to get on to a talk show.

"I have an idea. Let's make a video and get a whole crowd going. We're going to rescue a hostage."

"I can give you several reasons why that might backfire on you. But I already know you're not going to listen to me. So I guess you can fill me in on it in the morning."

Cho smiled and decided to start thinking up a plan.

* * *

Leo sat on her bed in the middle of the night talking to Usagi over the phone. She stared out of her window and had a clear beautiful view of the moon. It looked somehow dreamier when it was nearly two A.M. and hearing the voice of her significant other.

"Are you sleepy?" Usagi asked quietly.

"Not that much. Besides I could talk to you forever," she replied with a soft voice.

"Me too. I miss you so much. I wish you were here."

"Same. Maybe in the future we'll have another opportunity to spend the night."

Usagi was curled up on his end. He had gotten comfortable and faced his window to look at the same moon as his beloved. He let out a yawn and readjusted himself.

"Speaking of, how are you feeling? I mean like you know…, after we did the thing," he asked to a near whisper.

"I'm fine. I feel okay. Nothing new really. Why? Are you worried?"

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm okay, Usagi. I would've told you I felt weird after if I did."

There was a quiet lull in the conversation. Leo closed her eyes and felt Mamo silently adjust his sleeping position.

"Leo," Usagi said gently.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"Of course I'd love to."

"Just there's never enough time in the world to be with you. I feel like it'd be cool if we someday live together."

Leo smiled to herself and her heart thumped louder in her chest. "Living with you after we get out of high school would be a dream come true," she peeped happily.

They continued talking to each other before one of them fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, Cho had come to visit the studio that Anastasia worked in. The staff knew her from before and weren't bothered at all when they saw her. She flashed her badge at security and walked right through.

"Cho! Where have you been?" One employee asked as she ran up to her.

"I was on vacation, Anastasia and Dannie didn't tell you?"

"No they just told us that you quit."

"Well I didn't. I need to borrow a camera though so I can do a side photoshoot for Anastasia that she requested."

Before the woman could reply Cho kept walking. She found the room full of equipment and grabbed everything she wanted before stuffing it at all in her bag.

"And now the hard part, a victim," she whispered to herself.

Nori poked her head out from Cho's bag and looked around. Before she could respond another person walked in.

"Cho? What are you doing in here?" He asked suddenly.

"Akira I'm so happy to see you!" Cho replied as she ran up to him.

He took a step back and remembered that she was an unusually bubbly person and he was more used to Dannie constantly yelling at him to do things. She shut the door and Nori quickly knocked him out before the conversation could go any further.

"Alright Koyote, I have everything, cause a stir and we'll get out of here," Cho called to her partner through her phone.

Koyote stood on the outside and let out a huge sigh. He quickly transformed into the giant black wolf and ran straight for the building. Everyone screamed and ran out of the building. The distraction gave Cho enough to escape. She met him and he grabbed Akira's limp body. The two ran off immediately to put their plan into action.

* * *

Anastasia and Dannie got wind of what happened at the studio and they quickly came to see what trouble Cho caused.

"Is everyone okay? Where's the wolf?" Anastasia asked quickly.

"It's gone now but it was so terrifying. I think it took Cho. She stopped by but she disappeared after it showed up," a woman said frantically.

Dannie placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. She looked at Anastasia knowingly. Her friend nodded and they turned towards their frantic and frazzled coworker.

"Don't worry Yoshi we'll find her," Anastasia said as she put her hand on her shoulder.

"Oh please be careful if that thing comes back I don't know what I'd do if you got killed."

The girls quickly left and went to discuss the situation somewhere else.

They met at the lab and Anastasia and Dannie both talked about what to do.

"I say we split up and go search for her. Sitting idle and waiting for her to attack isn't working anymore and anyway if she has a pendant then we can track her," Dannie suggested as she turned towards Ryou.

"I suppose you're right but she has that murderous demon with her," Ryou replied.

"Even still. I'm going to find Leo and ask to borrow Mamo. I'm sure she won't mind."

Anastasia and Ryou both watched Dannie leave. Anastasia looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders. Ryou urged her along to follow his ambitious daughter.

Anastasia caught up with Dannie and they both walked to Leo's house.

"Do you really think she'll let us borrow Mamo? Those two are inseparable. She does everything with him," Anastasia asked.

"I don't think she won't if it's important. Leo isn't that stupid. Besides he's literally built for things like this."

"Yeah but we'll see what kinda mood she's in."

"Leo isn't moody…, well okay she's a bit moody but she's not Amber moody. Leo still knows how to do things without letting her feelings get too much in the way and she hates Cho. Doing literally anything to undermine her will have Leo on board."

Anastasia crossed her arms and reluctantly agreed.

* * *

They both arrived at her home just in time to see her leaving her house with Usagi. She had her arms wrapped around one of his arms and her head resting against his shoulder. Mamo was sitting on Leo's shoulder as always. Anastasia and Dannie thought they looked adorable together. Leo looked up to see her friends at her gate.

"Hey guys," Leo called as she and Usagi walked over to them.

"Hi Leo. Um we need to ask a major favor from you," Anastasia replied immediately.

"Sure but I'm about to go out."

"I know. It won't interfere with your plans. We need to borrow Mamo. Cho attacked the studio today and stole things. We to need track her down and find her."

Leo looked over at Mamo. He looked back at her and he quickly rubbed his head on her cheek. She gently picked him up and walked up to Anastasia.

"Be careful guys. And good luck. Mamo, I'll see when you're done," Leo said sweetly.

Mamo curled up around Anastasia's neck and sighed.

"Alright fine. But you be careful. I won't be around to alert you of danger so be quick on your toes," Mamo replied.

"I know. Be safe."

"Bye Leo."

Anastasia and Dannie quickly thanked her and walked off. Leo squeezed Usagi's hand and he gave her a reassuring pat on the head.

"Listen I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides we might get away with an uninterrupted date," Usagi said jokingly.

Leo nodded slowly before she agreed to carry on with their plans. She felt strange being without her little companion. She and Mamo both kept looking back at each other.

* * *

Cho was busy tying unconscious Akira at the top of Tokyo Tower while Koyote held her up.

"You almost done? It's windy as hell up here!"Koyote asked impatiently.

"Oh hush. This has to look intentional. We are one step away from talk shows and fame."

Koyote rolled his eyes. He never much cared for talk shows let alone ever be on one. Cho slipped and he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

"You need to be careful!" He scolded as she latched onto his back.

He climbed down afterwards and they went to set up the cameras. Koyote helped her with wires and setting things up.

"Alright now we need a crowd. Let's stir things up in here. I'm gonna call the police."

Koyote rolled his eyes and went to get attention from people.

* * *

Mamo led Anastasia and Dannie towards Cho until they ran into a large screaming crowd. Everyone had their phones out recording the atrocity.

"Oh my god that poor man!" A woman yelled in horror.

Dannie looked up to see Cho's victim screaming for help. She quickly transformed and went to go save him.

"C'mon Anastasia!" Dannie barked as she ran.

Anastasia followed her lead with Mamo latched on to her shoulder. The two girls saw Cho on top of her demon wolf sore through the air. She held a megaphone in her hand and shouted to the crowd.

"I'll save him! My name is Cho and this is my wolf, Koyote!" She shouted confidently.

"What the hell is she doing?" Dannie growled angrily.

"Putting on a show I guess."

"It would appear that way."

The girls hurried to put a stop to whatever Cho was up to. Cho grabbed onto the tower and freed Akira. He immediately fell and Koyote caught him. Cho took a jump and landed on his back. Koyote landed on the ground and confetti shot into the air while Cho stood up and presented Akira. The crowd cheered for her.

Anastasia and Dannie quickly addressed her.

"Cho!" Dannie shouted.

Cho snapped her head in their direction and pointed.

"Those women are evil! I've seen them before and they're the ones who put him up there!" She shouted accusingly.

Nori pushed the camera in the direction of the two girls.

Anastasia rolled her eyes and Dannie clenched her first.

"We should go. Now," Mamo said quickly when he noticed the camera.

"Why?" Anastasia asked.

"Look, Nori has a camera set up. Cho is recording."

Anastasia nodded and started to walk way but Dannie jumped towards Cho. She quickly pounced on her and the two girls wrestled each other on the ground. Dannie raised her fist and punched Cho clean in the face several times leaving her with a black eye. Cho clawed at her and scratched her chest leaving marks.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Dannie growled angrily.

"In front this big crowd? You've been painted as a villain and if you do I've got bad news for you sweetheart," Cho muttered in a low voice.

Dannie narrowed her eyes and got up. She hopped over Koyote and grabbed Akira. The crowd cried out in fear. Akira shut his eyes and shrieked.

"H-help!" He cried.

"Shut up Akira it's me, Dannie. Cho is fucking evil and she's using you as a prop. Stop asking her for help."

Akira's eyes widened. He stared at his hero in shock.

"Dannie?"

"Yes you idiot."

Akira placed his hands over his mouth and stuck by her side. They hurried off to somewhere safe and hidden. Anastasia and Mamo met with them and they both quickly transformed back to normal.

"Are you okay?" Anastasia asked quickly.

Akira brushed himself off and nodded.

"I am thanks guys. I had no idea you two were… well whatever you two are," Akira replied nervously.

"Don't tell anyone. It's a secret. Besides when you go to work tomorrow you need to avoid pressing questions as much as possible and say no to interviews from hosts on TV," Dannie said firmly.

Akira nodded quickly in understanding.

"Of course. I honestly just want to forget the whole thing. Waking up on that tower was actually the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. I don't think I can handle anymore surprises."

Anastasia and Dannie looked at each other.

"I'm going to take Mamo back to Leo. Could you walk Akira home?" Anastasia asked as she held Mamo close to her chest.

Dannie rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Alright fine but you owe me."

Anastasia patted her shoulder and walked in the direction while Mamo pointed where Leo was. Dannie looked at Akira and placed her hands on her hips.

"C'mon Akira lead the way. Where do you live?" Dannie asked as she let out a tired sigh.

"Oh um uh that way," he said as he started walking.

Dannie walked with him and they both walked in silence. Akira looked over at her several times and she pretended not to notice. He twiddled his thumbs nervously and took a deep breath.

"What?" Dannie asked finally, clearly annoyed.

"N-nothing um…," he trailed off.

"Well you've been looking at me so I want to know what's up with you."

Akira rubbed his arm and looked away from her. Dannie grew impatient with him and scoffed.

"It must not be that important so you know what I don't care," she said finally.

"You know I can walk myself home. I'm sorry I'm overwhelmed and tired and traumatized. You're probably used to all of this already. But I'll just see you at work tomorrow. Take care."

Dannie stared at him while he walked ahead of her. She crossed her arms and knew Anastasia would lose her crap on her if she left him. She continued to follow him.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, okay? I'm just frustrated."

Akira stopped walking and turned towards her.

"It's fine," he replied.

"Okay. But I still want to walk you home."

He kept walking awkwardly in a heavy silence with Dannie following him. He looked over at her and finally peeped up.

"So um how long have you been… a uh supergirl?" He asked quietly.

"It's called a Mew Mew and since fourteen."

"A Mew Mew. I've heard of those before. There's like really kinda old footage of one girl that was a Mew Mew and she's pink with like black cat ears. It's when I thought I was getting into journalism but things obviously didn't go that way. I'm stuck working minimum as a water boy for the whole staff but that's how things go when you dropout of college."

"Yeah I'm not giving you more information than you already have because it's none of your concern."

"That's okay. I won't ask anymore questions."

"Why'd you want to do journalism anyway? You don't rub me off that way and why did you dropout?"

"To answer your first question I've always just been interested in it. To answer your second question, when you're stuck with three siblings and a sick parent you just have to make sacrifices. I've decided eventually I'll probably go back to college with a different major. Any case I won't get too into it."

Dannie stared at him and immediately regretted asking him.

"I'm sorry I didn't know."

"No one at work does and honestly shouldn't. I don't enjoy discussing my personal life with coworkers but you rescued me and revealed a few secrets so I guess I owe you one."

Dannie nodded in understanding. Akira stayed quiet for some time before she asked him a few more questions.

"So what's wrong with your mom and how old are your siblings?" She asked curiously.

"My mom is just old and sick. She had all of us pretty late after she finished school and gained a high position in her career. Which is inspiring but that means she just decided she wanted kids. She had me first and had two miscarriages and an abortion thanks to a dangerous pregnancy. So she adopted my other siblings. My father died first and since then her health has just declined so quickly."

"Oh…"

"Don't feel sorry for me it's not that big of a deal. I give her about two years."

"Jesus Christ why would you say that about your own mother?"

Akira looked at her and sighed. He placed his hands in his pockets.

"Listen you don't know how many doctor's appointments and how many ER trips and how much medication I've given her. It's not easy to say okay. But it's something I have to accept and I'm this close to putting her on hospice. Be glad you don't have to deal with it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Dannie placed her hands behind her back and looked at the ground. Akira didn't want to talk to her anymore than he already had. He also felt especially strange since he was used to her yelling several demands and tasks at him multiple times a day. He glanced at her and seeing her quietly walk next to him felt unnatural.

"If you don't come in to work tomorrow then it's fine. I understand being tied up a million feet up and being kidnapped for a show would require rest," Dannie said in attempt to lift the awkward atmosphere.

"Yeah it's fine. I'll be there. I need the money."

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

"What would I gain from making you feel guilty? You literally asked me about my life and I answered your questions. I already told you I don't want you to feel sorry for me."

"It just feels like you're trying to make me feel guilty."

"Dannie I don't care to make anyone feel guilty. So I'll leave you with that."

"Well I do if you're curious."

Akira stopped for a moment.

"Well it sounds like you have some stuff you need to work out."

"What are you implying?"

"Maybe you only feel bad because you've treated me like less than human for the past few years. And now that you know you my personal life you feel bad about it."

Dannie glared at him.

"No!"

"Okay. Then there's no reason to feel guilty."

They kept walking and eventually made it to his home. He lived in a small decent one story house. He waved bye and thanked her for walking him home. Dannie watched him open his door and two dogs greeted him. She walked away after he disappeared into the house.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** This one is really short but you decided to consume this trash. Thank you, I love you and appreciate you. Dannie and Akira? Do you want that? Is that what you want? No? You said no? You didn't ask for this shit? Well I have bad news._


	12. Glamorous Butterfly

Leo sat with Usagi a week after the incident and watched TV with him.

"Hi I'm Marina Takahashi and my special guest today is someone that has very recently gained internet fame. This girl has gained billions of views for her heroic rescue and for being just so damn adorable. Please welcome, Miss Cho Fuji!"

Cho walked on stage with Koyote close behind her. Leo immediately stood up in shock.

"That little bitch! This was her stupid plan the entire time! I hate her so much!" Leo barked angrily.

Usagi grabbed her arm and had her sit back down. She crossed her arms angrily and continued watching the show.

"So Miss Fuji tell me do you have him with you all the time? Who's this?" The hostess asked as she gestured towards Koyote.

Cho looked at him and then back at her. She adjusted her sparkling teal dress.

"He's my wolf. We're together at all times and you're not allowed to ask him any questions," she answered sweetly.

"I see well he's extremely handsome. Is he single?"

The hostess laughed and Cho laughed along while glaring daggers at the woman. Koyote just smiled feeling proud.

Leo frowned while Usagi rubbed her back.

"I hate her she's so fake," Leo muttered.

"Yeah but you might learn something from her if you watch the interview," Usagi replied sweetly.

"I know I'm just annoyed. She's such a pill."

Cho continued talking with Marina. Leo was trying to get over that this was real and happening. Mamo rolled his eyes but secretly worried about the new situation.

* * *

Dannie headed towards Akira's house by herself. She refused to tell Anastasia where she was headed after she was asked several times. She made it to his door and knocked on it.

Akira opened the door and stood there wide eyed and shocked that she was there.

"Good afternoon, how are you?" Dannie greeted.

Akira looked around and back at her.

"Um hey… I'm good. Why are you here?" He asked cautiously.

"I brought you a few things." She held up two grocery bags.

"Um thanks."

Dannie looked over his shoulder before giving him an awkward wry smile.

"Can I come in?" She asked finally.

"Um I don't know. I have three dogs and my siblings are home. It's pretty crowded in here."

"Well I don't mind," She said firmly.

Akira scratched the back of his head and felt awkward about letting her in. He saw the look in her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Maybe next time. Honestly you really didn't have to get me any of this stuff I'm not a charity case but thank you."

"Well that's fine. Here. I'll see you tomorrow."

Despite saying she would leave she didn't walk away from the porch. Akira raised an eyebrow and quietly took the grocery bags from her. Dannie placed her hands on his hips and stared at him.

"You can come in for a few minutes but after that you have to leave," Akira said finally.

He led her in and she followed him. She looked around his quiet little house. The dogs he mentioned perked up at seeing her and went to sniff her. She stopped and went to pet them.

"Wow three dogs. Must be a handful. I just have a cat," Dannie said while she pet them.

"Yeah. They can be. So why did you stop by?" Akira asked as he faced her.

Dannie looked up at him and her shoulders slumped.

"Because I got you stuff."

"Why?"

"Why not? It's just a nice gesture and I figured you'd appreciate it. I won't do it anymore if it bothers you."

"A little bit yeah it kinda does cause we aren't close and that incident was just exactly that, an incident. It just happened to be that way and I just happened to be her victim. Dannie I feel awkward around you when you're trying to be nice and I'd feel much better if you'd leave me alone and let things go back to the way they were."

Dannie saw the discomfort in Akira's brown eyes. She took a step towards him and nervously twiddled her thumbs.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt guilty about how I've treated you. I have a hard time with my own emotions and spend a majority of my time not dealing with them. Especially at work where I'm more concerned about finishing projects than I am about you or anyone else's well being. So I'm sorry if I'm making you feel awkward. I just thought maybe if I showed some kind of nice gesture it would soften the feelings between us and maybe you'd consider me a friend after telling me all those personal things. I told you I wouldn't go into detail about being a Mew Mew but I feel like I owe you one for that. Cho was recently on TV and I don't know… I'm just feeling conflicted and it's kinda nice to have someone other than my teammates to talk to about it."

Akira offered her a seat on the couch in his living room. He sat next to her and she faced him with her legs crossed. She noticed he wasn't glaring at her as much and instead seemed more open to talk.

"I bet your whole situation is stressful," he said finally.

"Yeah a bit," she replied with a small chuckle.

He leaned on his arm and pushed his black hair out of his face. She looked around for a bit before realizing it was just her and Akira.

"I thought other people were home," Dannie said finally.

"I lied hoping you'd walk away. My siblings are at school."

"And your mom?"

"In her room. She kinda can't get up so don't expect her to be randomly walking around."

"Oh, how is she with strangers?"

"She has like early dementia so I try not to introduce new people to her cause it'll take her a while to adjust."

"I see. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. You live and learn."

They sat together in silence for a bit. Dannie sighed and looked at the floor quietly. Akira's eyes shifted around the room before he decided to be a better host.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked.

She nodded and watched him get up.

"So I have tea, juice, soda, and water. Take your pick."

"Water is fine."

Akira returned with a small glass of water. He handed it to Dannie and she sipped on it quietly. He sat next to her and just relaxed. She looked at him and she never noticed how cool he looked when he wasn't doing anything. He seemed lost in thought as he stared off into nothing.

"So my father is the one who created Project Mew Mew. Well his father but he helped a lot along with his best friend who happened to be like an apprentice and all that. Anyway, we've had two alien attacks and three total. Long stories but the one I participated in was the second alien attack where I first became a Mew Mew. I was fourteen and my father was hesitant but I insisted that I could take part in this and be successful. Cho is our fourth offence but she's so unique and nothing we've had to deal with before. She infiltrated our group and system, became a Mew Mew by force and now she's trying to kill us. It's disgusting and I hate her. She's so good at manipulating people and making them think she's some kinda cute innocent girl that just loves to help but really she's a power hungry megalomaniac. I want to bring her down but she's made things complicated bringing everything to the public eye where they think she's some kinda magical hero that just appeared."

"Sounds like a lot."

"It's hard. My mother was a part of the first generation of Mews before I was born. It's like I was meant to carry out this responsibility and obligation or I'll fail my parents. It's just a huge weight on my chest that I can't get rid of."

Dannie took another sip of water and her shoulders slumped. She never said that out loud before to anyone and hearing it come from her own mouth for the first time felt strange. She glanced at Akira and he was looking back at her.

"I'd probably feel the same way," Akira replied finally after some silence.

"You're taking everything quite well. I thought you'd freak out."

"I found out about this stuff in the worst way possible so sitting down to talk isn't going to make me scream."

Dannie giggled at his remark and she sat back on the couch. She nodded slowly and took another sip.

"I guess you're right," she said.

"Did you come just to vent?"

She shook her head.

"No, not originally. I came to help you a little and see if you needed anything at home."

"How very noble of you."

"Sure. But if you don't mind me venting then we can keep doing this instead."

"Yeah it's no big deal. I'm open to listening."

Dannie nodded and thanked him for his kindness. They sat together and continued talking to each other. The more they exchanged casual words the more they warmed up to each other.

* * *

Leo met with Amber later and they both ranted about Cho's new television personality. She was on every popular talk show blowing steam out of her ass. Usagi listened to them rant and he finally had to interject.

"Maybe there's a way to set her up and get her off TV," he said finally.

Mamo nodded along with his suggestion. Leo and Amber both stopped talking and thought about it.

"How do we do that?" Amber asked finally.

"Anastasia and her mother have a show right? Where they talk and then perform together. Maybe she can get Cho on it. She won't refuse the invitation because that is an extremely popular show amongst teenagers. She won't be able to resist. Just have Anastasia and Zakuro really press her buttons and get her to reveal her true self on camera."

"That's a really good idea. We should bring that up to the rest of the group. Wow Usagi you're really smart," Leo replied thoughtfully.

Amber agreed with her. Leo hugged Usagi's arm.

"My super smart boyfriend," Leo said happily as she kissed his cheek.

"You can get a room," Amber replied jokingly.

Leo made a face at her and turned back towards Usagi.

"Don't you dare, I've seen you make out with Jojo before and I never asked for that. So a little bit of affection isn't going to kill you. But we'll leave if you want us to. I have no hang ups," Leo scolded.

"Hmm I was joking but if you wanna run off and claw your boyfriend I'm fine with that."

Leo looked at Usagi and he didn't seem at all bothered by their conversation. She smiled at him and thought about it. It had been a long time since the last time they were intimate.

"Maybe I will run off and claw him," Leo said playfully as she hugged his arm tighter.

Usagi covered his face when he heard her. Amber raised an eyebrow at her statement and shook her head.

"Geez Leo. I'll catch you later then. We'll talk about Cho with the rest of the group and propose his idea to everyone. We'll see what we can do about that situation," Amber said.

Leo nodded and waved bye. She grabbed Usagi's hand and walked off with him.

* * *

That night Cho and Koyote were busy in a dressing room before making another show appearance.

"This time we'll really wow the crowd. We can do a whole smoke bomb and I suddenly appear in front of the camera with you holding me up. I want glitter and confetti to rain down from the ceiling. Nori you're in charge of that effect," Cho instructed.

"What just so they can ask us the exact same questions as everyone else. I'm over it."

"Koyote, don't talk like that. We're famous now okay we have an obligation to our public and future servants. With enough charisma we can easily climb to the top and take over."

Koyote sat back and rolled his eyes. Cho adjusted her sparkly pink dress and finished her makeup. Nori sighed and started to fill a bucket full of confetti and glitter.

"Well whatever you want kid."

"Are you kidding those people love me. Little do they know they're looking at their empress. Ooh Empress Cho has a nice ring to it."

Koyote simply rolled his eyes. They heard a knock on their door and they knew it was showtime. Koyote picked up Cho and prepared the large stage entrance she planned. Nori flew off to prepare the dramatic effect she wanted. She sat on top of the stage and waited for Cho appear.

"Nori," a voice called to her.

Nori was startled by the voice. Her radar didn't go off at a sense of danger and she quickly looked over her shoulder. There, sitting behind her was Mamo. She narrowed her eyes and hissed at him.

"What are you doing here?" She growled.

"I just came to talk. I know you're busy being Cho's slave so I'll keep it short."

"How did you find me?"

Mamo rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Are you aware she stupidly shoved a pendant somewhere inside of you instead of properly programming you? You're easy to track and the reason you can't track me is because I don't have that. I can send and receive signals at will but you can't."

"Whatever I don't care. I'll fight you."

Nori and Mamo were both startled by the loud sound of a smoke bomb going off and she quickly tipped over the bucket. Confetti and glitter rained down on Cho while Koyote held her up as high as he could. Nori smiled and felt proud of herself for successfully assisting Cho's big idea.

"Do you ever feel bad for helping her?" Mamo asked as he circled around her.

Nori held her head high.

"Pfft no. She's my best friend."

Mamo sat down on his hind legs.

"I'm willing to bet she treats you like shit. Does she even listen to you when you worry about her? Does she care that you only have her best interests in mind?"

"I'm not going to be brainwashed by you! Where's your stupid owner?"

"Busy. Not here. I told you I have free will. I'm allowed to go off on my own. I just wanted to make sure you knew that too. You can make choices, Nori. If you're all for Cho's agenda then carry on but if not your purpose is to be the voice of reason. That's why we're created, that's why we're made. That's why my name is Mamoru."

Nori stared at him and frowned. Mamo nodded at her and batted his wings in preparation to fly off. She quickly stopped him before he could leave.

"Wait," she called quickly.

"I figured you needed to hear that even if you're small, your voice is big. So use it. Learn to not always take orders."

Nori grew frustrated with his words and he quickly flew off. She bit her lip and tried to shake off the encounter.

"Nice try but I'm not stupid or easily influenced," Nori muttered to herself.

* * *

Leo turned over and felt a soft furry sensation on her cheek. She opened her eyes and found Mamo settling between her and Usagi.

"There you are," her tired soft voice cooed at him gently.

He purred softly when she stroked his small head. She let out a yawn and went back to sleep. Usagi readjusted himself when he felt Mamo's paws against his shoulder. He rolled over and put his arm over the both of them. Mamo felt warm and safe sleeping between them.

* * *

The next day Leo had brought Usagi to the lab to discuss his big idea.

"Ladies I called you all here to introduce my boyfriend, Usagi, if you haven't met him already. He already knows I'm a Mew Mew and he knows about Rabbit. With that being said Amber and I were talking about our Cho situation and he came up with something clever. Go ahead," Leo said as she presented Usagi.

He cleared his throat and went to speak. Mamo sat proudly on his shoulder when he stood up.

"So Anastasia, you and Zakuro have a show together. I was thinking you could invite Cho on and expose her true character to the world. Once they realize she's absolutely nuts they'll stop giving her so much attention. Especially if the public finds her repulsive it'd be bad for business for anymore show hosts to have her on TV. She'll be silenced," Usagi explained carefully.

"That could work. I can't think of anything better so it's worth a shot," Anastasia replied.

Ryou and Keiichiro shrugged and nodded.

"We've got no other choice. It'll be impossible to deal with her privately if all eyes on her," Ryou added.

The other girls seemed to agree with the plan and Anastasia decided to take it up with her mother.

"We have to be smart about this though. Cho isn't stupid and she'll know something's up the moment she receives the invitation. She takes Koyote with her everywhere so maybe getting him to transform could help escalate the situation and strike fear into the public," Dannie spoke up.

"It's kinda hard to piss him off though and he only listens to Cho," Amber quickly added.

"Then get under Cho's skin," Yogurt finally replied after listening the entire time.

"Maybe have the rest of the group sit in the front row of the show audience and she'll notice and feel threatened. She'll think you guys are going to ambush her and that it's a setup. She'll get defensive and try to attack first," Usagi said as he jumped up.

"Let's just hope she takes the bait. Alright girls let's do this," Anastasia said with resolve.

The girls all agreed and thanked Usagi. Leo felt proud of her boyfriend. She gazed at him with admiring eyes. Usagi looked over at her and saw the smile on her face. He smiled back and she hugged his arm.

* * *

Cho stared at the invitation she received a few days later. Koyote saw the look on her face and knew something was wrong.

"What's up, kid?" He asked as he walked over to her.

"Anastasia and Zakuro has invited me on their show," she replied finally after some silence.

"I hear that show is super popular," he said causally.

"Either she's looking for views and is going with the crowd or she's setting me up. But Anastasia isn't a money chaser so it's definitely a set up. We're going to set her up too."

"So you're going?"

"Yes. Millions of people watch this show, I'd be stupid to pass up this opportunity to gain more fans."

"Alright, I'll be on standby should anything happen."

Cho nodded. Nori thought about Mama's words and she felt a strange eerie feeling in her gut. She decided to speak up and be the voice of reason.

"Cho I think you shouldn't do it. It's a trap," she said firmly.

"Pfft shut up. What do you know?" Cho barked almost immediately.

Koyote shrugged and walked away. Nori sighed and her shoulders slumped. She looked at the floor for a moment before finally deciding to stand up for herself.

"I'm supposed to protect you from danger, Cho. I'm your friend and that's what friends do. I want you to be safe and I know it's better if you don't. Please Cho, don't do it."

"I am danger. If they want to try me they'll learn not to fuck with me ever again."

"But Cho that's exactly what-"

"Shut up. I'm not hearing anymore of it."

Nori sighed again and she flew over to the window and stared out of it. She secretly wished Cho would listen to her. She didn't understand why she was invented if her voice was useless. She glanced over her shoulder to see Cho and Koyote talking. She soon looked back outside of the window and lied down.

* * *

The day had arrived for Cho to appear on Anastasia's show. The girls were in position and all sat in the front row seats Anastasia had purchased for them. Leo looked around and leaned towards Amber.

"Let's hope this works," she whispered.

"Yeah and if it doesn't I have no idea how we're going to get to the media off our back."

They stopped talking when the lights above them dimmed and Anastasia and Zakuro walked on stage. They started their introduction and soon introduced Cho.

Cho walked out in a sparkly dress and Koyote was right behind her as expected. She immediately noticed Leo and her friends when she waved at the audience. Her eyes narrowed and she quickly took her seat. She learned over to Koyote.

"It's a trap. They're all here waiting to pounce," she whispered very quietly to him.

Koyote nodded.

"Just let me know what you want me to do."

Cho gave him a quick nod and turned over to the hostesses of the show.

"Miss Cho it's a pleasure to finally have you on the show. I know our audience agrees that you're one popular person right now," Zakuro said sweetly with a warm smile on her face.

Cho smiled back and nodded.

"Oh of course. It's an honor to be here. I'm sure my public agrees."

"Tell me, how did you become this amazing super hero?" Anastasia asked.

"I was born this way," Cho replied with a cheeky smile as she narrowed her eyes.

Anastasia and Zakuro both clapped and nodded.

"Wow you must be the daughter of some really amazing people. Tell us about our parents," Zakuro added.

"They're not important."

"Oh but I'm sure they are if you were born with such amazing powers. Surely you have some miraculous parents."

"No."

Cho composed herself and sat back.

"Well I'm sure they're proud of you. I know my mother is always routing for me," Anastasia said sweetly as she turned towards Zakuro.

Cho sighed and nodded.

"Yes I'm sure they are. Anyway not everyone can be gifted with my unique powers," Cho said with a cheeky smile.

"Of course not. Being gifted is definitely something to be proud of. I wish I could be a superhero. That's why we're having you on the show. Clearly you don't care about having a secret identity or making it quiet that you are who you are. Aren't you worried about the public asking you constantly for help with trivial things like rescuing a cat from a tree?"

"I think everyone needs someone to look up to so I'd love to be that person. Also I would rescue a million cats."

"Well you heard it here. Cho is willing to help you no matter what. What a hero. I'd love it if you'd rescue me from my chores," Anastasia said jokingly.

Cho scoffed.

"Ha, I'm sure you have plenty of maids."

"Oh please we don't keep maids. Speaking of, I assume you live in a glorious mansion thanks to your powers."

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Oh yes very much so, for all those don't know I actually have a secret to reveal. Cho and I have already been acquainted and are very good friends. We wanted to make it seem like we were meeting for the first time," Anastasia said as she turned towards the camera and audience.

Cho looked around and glared at the other girls.

"However I haven't been acquainted with Koyote yet. Tell me about yourself," Anastasia added.

"No show host was allowed to ask him questions and we're not gonna start today just because we're friends," Cho said firmly.

"Oh c'mon Cho, the more you keep him a mystery to the public, the more we want to know about him."

"Well you don't get to."

"At least tell me where you met him. It seemed like he just came out of nowhere."

"Don't worry about it."

"My, my, we're in a mood today aren't we?"

Cho scoffed and tried to shake it off. Koyote was entertained by the scene.

"I mean hey if you wanna ask me questions go for it," Koyote said finally with a wide smile on his face.

Cho stood up almost immediately and shouted.

"NO!"

Leo narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Gotcha, you little bitch," she muttered quietly.

Amber nudged her but they both tried to keep from laughing.

Cho looked over at the audience realizing her outburst. Her eyes darted towards Leo and Amber and saw them smiling and giggling to each other. She immediately figured it was a set up and they were going to attack her. She quickly sat back down and leaned over to Koyote.

"Take the cameras out and kill them, all of them. I don't want any witnesses," Cho whispered quietly.

Koyote shrugged.

"You're the boss."

Koyote stood up and cracked his back. He let out a loud bellowing howl and a black smoke filled the entire room. When it cleared Koyote emerged in his giant wolf form. He lunged at the cameras and everyone in the room started screaming.

Cho stood up and pointed at Leo.

"You thought you could set me up huh you little bitch!? Not if I kill you all first! Mew Mew Cho, metamorphosis!"

She transformed and summoned her sword. Leo and her team quickly ushered people out of the room to get them to safety.

"Whatever you do, don't transform!" Leo shouted as she quickly picked up a crying child.

The girls understood and it wasn't long before Ryou and Keiichiro came to help.

"Hurry exit this way!" Ryou called while people ran.

Koyote jumped in front of the exit and swatted people with his giant picked up the closest object to her and threw it at him.

"Hey Koyote over here!" She barked.

Koyote turned in her direction and went after her. Amber made her way to Leo and grabbed the child. Leo threw another object at him while Amber made a run for it.

"You big stupid wolf!" Leo shouted.

Koyote grabbed her and she quickly scratched his eyes. He dropped her in that instant and let out a pained growl. She quickly jumped on his back and grabbed his fur.

Koyote tried shaking and swatting her off but she kept her grip firm.

The other girls saw Leo had Koyote nice and distracted. After they were successful with getting people out they made their way to the cameras Koyote failed to destroy first. Cho had unplugged them and held the wires in her hands.

"Looking for this?" She asked as she let out a manic laugh.

"You think you won but you haven't," Anastasia barked.

"Oh shut up. You thought I wouldn't be prepared for you to bitches to pounce on me! But I was and much more. I'll have your heads displayed in my beautiful palace once I take over the world."

"Keep dreaming you little bitch but you're not going to win!" Dannie replied.

"I'm going to build an army! You may have ruined my fame but take notes you dirty animals, I will win. I will reign supreme and I will kill you. All of you. The public knows I'm capable of much more than putting on a show. I will massacre those who chose to oppose me and I will bathe in their blood and clean my teeth with their guts."

"You are one crazy bitch," Amber snapped.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Bye girls," Cho replied as she kicked over the lights and set the studio on fire.

She ran over to Koyote and grabbed Leo by the neck. Leo clawed her arms and Cho hissed in pain. Leo flipped over and kicked Cho as hard as she could. Cho quickly grabbed her leg and swung her off of Koyote's back. Leo hit the ground and quickly shook off the impact. She looked up while Cho clicked her tongue and Koyote ran straight through a wall. They watched her make her exit.

"Jesus," Leo muttered as she wiped the blood off her face.

"We need to go!" Yogurt shouted as she ushered everyone out of the convenient hole Koyote made.

They quickly escaped before the entire building was taken by the jaws of Cho's fire.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Cho is fun. Also I will provide thee fan service if you read the first story before this one. You're welcome. Stay tuned. _


	13. Soulless

Anastasia sat with Fox that night after dealing with Cho.

"She said she's going to build an army. Lord knows what she's got in mind," Anastasia said as she got up and paced around his living room.

"Well we'll need to be prepared then," Fox answered.

"Yes but Fox how?"

"Apollo and I will make sure you'll have a secret weapon ready for Cho."

Anastasia finally sat down and shook her head. Fox rubbed her shoulder and tried to reassure her.

"Trust me, she's easier to handle than you think," he said gently.

Anastasia looked up at him and her shoulders slumped.

"Okay but it's Cho we're talking about. She's relentless and one determined little asshole. When she says army, she means an army."

"Just sit down and relax, darling. We'll make sure you girls come out on top. Besides Apollo and I won't let her hurt the love of our lives. Okay? You're in safe hands."

"Fox," Anastasia started but he grabbed her hands.

She took a seat again next to him and she let him hold her. Apollo sat at the table and overheard their conversation. He slurped his ramen and nodded to himself.

"You're gonna be okay," Fox reiterated.

Anastasia lied her head on his chest. He rubbed her shoulder and tried to make her feel better. Apollo turned over in their direction.

"I'm pretty good at making things happen," he said finally after some silence.

"Exactly, Apollo and I will have everything covered."

"Yep," Apollo agreed before turning back to his food.

"Are you going to call Helios again?" Anastasia asked.

"No, he's the king now. He's too busy with other things," Fox replied.

"He doesn't have time," Apollo added.

"Then what?"

"Don't worry about it," Fox replied jokingly.

"If we tell you, it won't end well let's just put it that way," Apollo's voice chimed in once again.

Anastasia looked at him before turning back to Fox. She tried to relax but she couldn't. Fox continued to reassure her and try to make her feel better.

"Forget about it for now, let's just watch a movie," Fox said as he held up a DVD.

Anastasia reluctantly nodded. Apollo finished his ramen and stood up.

"I'm going to see Yogurt. I don't wanna be here for when you two start getting intimate," Apollo said as he pushed his chair in.

Anastasia sat up and shrieked.

"Excuse me!?" she barked.

"You heard me, bye guys."

"The nerve of you! Who do you take me for?"

Apollo shrugged and walked out of the door. Anastasia crossed her arms and pouted. Fox chuckled at her reaction and kissed her forehead. She instantly melted and leaned on him again.

"Apollo was half joking," Fox said jokingly.

"Hey! I didn't come over to be used!" Anastasia barked.

"Anastasia," Fox said gently.

Anastasia looked at his face and she narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"You think I have no class? Like I'd just lay you down on this couch and start going at it with you?"

Her face went red and she shook her head.

"N-no! I wouldn't even let you!"

"Exactly. So just relax and watch this movie. If anything happens and you let me get lucky then hey I guess Apollo was right."

"You're not getting lucky and he was wrong."

Fox giggled at her reply and he patted her head. Anastasia buried her head in his chest and sighed. He cuddled her and tried to joke with her but she wasn't having it. He could tell she was too embarrassed by the very thought of it.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Fox asked playfully.

"No you may not," her muffled voice muttered from his shirt.

"Hey you," he said as he nudged her.

"Fine."

"Have you done the thing before?" He asked, clearly laughing.

"No I haven't so stop pressing me about it."

"Wow Miss Anastasia, sexy, goregeous, beautiful, and talented, has never had sex before. Call the news."

Anastasia sat up and glared at him angrily. He squeezed her cheeks and chuckled warmly at her angry red face.

"What?" he asked playfully.

"You're a piece of shit," she replied firmly.

"But you already knew that."

She scoffed and he continued to poke fun at her.

"Okay, okay, okay I'll leave you alone about it, sweet cheeks. I just find pleasure in your discomfort."

"You better. I don't wanna keep talking about it."

"Okaaay whatever the princess wants."

Fox patted her head and stood up to put on the movie. She sat on the couch with her arms crossed. He looked over at her and seeing her continue to pout made him smile.

"You're super cute when you're mad though," he said jokingly.

She mocked him and he just laughed.

* * *

Cho and Koyote had found a new place to call home since the police had somehow tracked them down. Cho looked around the small house they took over. A small elderly woman had lived there before Cho mercilessly smothered the poor woman in her sleep.

"This place is cute and quaint," Cho said as she set her things down.

"You didn't have to kill her. An abandoned building would've been, you know, more discreet and less messy," Koyote said awkwardly.

"She was old, Koyote, Death was knocking on her door. Besides better now than later right?"

"Cho," Koyote was about to scold her but he decided to leave it alone.

"We need to visit the graveyard anyway," she said finally.

Koyote raised an eyebrow. He wasn't ready for whatever answer she was about to provide him but he knew he had to ask.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"We're building an army and I'm going to raise the dead."

"Excuse me? Did you just tell me you're going to use necromancy?"

"Sure. Those dirty Mews can't kill people who are already dead right? Foolproof plan."

"Yeah except you can't raise the dead because it's impossible!"

"Not that we know of because we haven't tried. If I can posses you with the demon of a wolf, then I can raise the dead."

Koyote was about to protest but she quickly grabbed his hand.

"C'mon, let's go eat," she said happily.

He muttered a sigh and Nori quickly followed the two.

* * *

Apollo was sitting on Yogurt's bed and they just spoke to each other. Not much happened between them and the most they would do besides going out on dates was probably make out and just have casual conversation. He was just happy to be with her and nothing gave him more happiness than hearing her sweet lisp and voice droning on about various topics. He sat there and stared at her with admiring, loving eyes while she showed him a picture she drew. She spoke about her inspirations in creating it and why she loved it so much. Apollo couldn't help how he felt so high on air every time he looked at her. Her beautiful long brown wavy hair fell over her face and shoulders so perfectly and the freckles scattered about her body added to her cute features.

"You're so beautiful," Apollo muttered quietly.

Yogurt looked up and smiled at him.

"Apollo did you hear anything I said?" she asked jokingly.

"Yes of course I'm listening to you. I just wanted to you tell you that you're so beautiful."

"Thank you, you're cute too."

He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. She felt her face heat up and she couldn't help giggling.

"You're in a loving mood today," she said playfully.

"I'm always in a loving mood when I'm with you," he replied sweetly to her.

"But I mean you are especially today."

Apollo sat behind her and placed his arms around her waist. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and sighed quietly.

"I just really love you," he whispered softly.

"I love you too," Yogurt replied with a wide, cheerful smile on her face.

"I love you more," he answered as he kissed her cheek.

"Apollo," her sweet voice chimed.

"I love you to the moon and back," he whispered back this time kissing her again.

"Apollo…," she muttered softly this time.

Apollo's arms around her grew tighter and he kissed her more. She leaned her head back on his shoulder as he pulled her closer and his lips traveled down her neck. She bit lip at the sensation and she placed her drawing on her nightstand. Her soft hands traveled over his and he held them tightly.

"I fucking love you," he said again with a quiet husky voice.

Yogurt melted. She closed her eyes and felt her boyfriend's lips on hers. The sensation drove her crazy. It never got old even after being with him for four years.

"Apollo," Yogurt peeped quietly.

"Yes?"

Yogurt readjusted herself and lied her head in his lap. He stroked her cheek and the sweet gentle smile on his face made her heart warm.

"I love you too," she replied softly.

"How did I get so lucky?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean how did I get so lucky and end up being with the most perfect girl on the planet?"

"Don't be silly, I'm not perfect."

"You are to me."

Yogurt felt her heart beating faster and she smiled widely. She gazed up at his pale face and played with his hair.

"Apollo," she muttered shyly.

"Hmm?"

"Um I…"

Apollo saw the unusual expression on her face. He tilted his head curiously and asked her what was wrong. She bit her lip and sat up. She hugged him tightly and kissed him several times. She pulled away and her eyes wavered. He smoothed her hair out and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Hey you," he said gently.

"I really kinda…" she paused for a moment and sat back.

She grabbed his other hand and swung it playfully while she tried to put her feelings into words. She had felt this way before but today was different. She wanted to act on it this time. Her boyfriend was looking especially delicious and she wasn't sure how to put that into words without sounding strange and out of character.

"Apollo you're super cute," she said finally with a smile on her face.

"Well you're even cuter," he replied sweetly as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

Yogurt bit her lip and she sighed.

"Can we… are you…?" she paused for a moment and stared at her floor.

Apollo tilted his head before he could ask what was wrong she spoke up.

"I kinda want you to do me," she said finally.

Apollo took a deep breath and went wide eyed. He stared at her and tried to answer her. She looked back at him, feeling embarrassed by what just came out of her mouth. He blinked a few times before finally coming up with a response.

"You…, you do?" he asked in disbelief.

"I mean… well yeah?"

"You do…"

Yogurt nervously scratched the back her head and chuckled nervously. She felt awkward and weird. Apollo looked a the ground before looking at her again. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Holy shit," he muttered quietly.

"What?"

"I mean holy shit I didn't expect you to make that invitation first…"

"Well I mean you were being really affectionate and sweet and I dunno I guess you look especially good today."

She shrugged her shoulders nervously. Apollo bit his lip for a moment and he couldn't help the smirk on his face.

"Holy fucking shit," he whispered this time.

Yogurt watched him get up and walk over to her door. He quickly locked it before pacing around her room and nervously grabbing his hair. She sat there and wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. She saw him jump up and exclaim this time.

"Holy fucking shit!" he nearly shouted this time with a huge nervous smile on his face.

He walked back over to her this time and awkwardly pushed her into her bed sheets. Yogurt was surprised by his response but she accepted it. He felt butterflies in his stomach when looked at her and couldn't shake the feeling. Yogurt gave him a nervous laugh and they both kept staring at each other, waiting for someone to make the next move.

* * *

Apollo returned home and found Fox on the couch watching TV. Fox sat up and looked over at him and smiled widely.

"Hey! How was Yogurt's?" Fox asked sweetly.

"Fine," he replied quietly as he dragged his feet to his room.

Fox tilted his head curiously and stood up. He followed his little brother and went to ask what was wrong.

"Hey what's up? Are you okay? What happened?" Fox asked worriedly.

Apollo shook his head and just shut his door. Fox placed his hands on hips and wondered if Yogurt broke up with him. He sighed and tried to think of encouraging words.

"Hey so um, I know break-ups are difficult but take this time to yourself and really enjoy being by yourself. Trust me I know it's not easy but life moves on," Fox said in attempts to reassure him.

Apollo opened his door and stared at Fox.

"She didn't break up with me."

"Oh, then what's wrong with you? Did you see Cho?"

Apollo stared at Fox for a moment and tried to find the best way to explain to him his problem.

"I lost my virginity," he said finally after some silence.

Fox crossed his arms and was at a loss for words. He looked around and wasn't sure how to respond to the news. He tapped his foot and Apollo waited patiently for a response so he could drop the second bomb on him.

"Um wow… was it good?"

"Sure."

"Well um… congratulations? Why are you so upset though?"

Apollo stared at the floor for a while.

"Was it the blood?" Fox tried guessing.

Apollo silently shook his head.

"Did Yogurt not like it?"

He received the same response.

"Did her parents catch you?"

"No… um I… kinda made a mistake. It was the heat of the moment and it just sorta happened, you know?"

"Yeah that's usually how that goes."

"Yeah but Fox I didn't… I didn't, you know…"

Fox was about to say something but it instantly clicked in his head.

"Ah… ooooohhhhhh okay. Okaaaaaay… okay," Fox replied awkwardly.

They both stood there and looked at the floor. Fox scratched the back of his head and tried to think of reassuring words to his brother's situation.

"I mean um… you did, you know, pull out though… right?"

"Well yeah but like…"

Fox leaned against the wall and sighed. He wasn't going to scold Apollo for a mistake that he knew his little brother was immediately sorry for.

"Hey the kid would be super cute though," Fox said jokingly in attempt to lighten the situation but the only response he received was Apollo instantly threw up.

He could tell the poor boy was already extremely nervous and filled with nothing but regret and worry. The statement didn't help and he quickly understood he had to clean up the mess. Apollo stared at the vomit, surprised that he responded that way. He sighed loudly and looked at Fox. Fox ruffled his hair and walked to the bathroom to get the things to clean the floor.

* * *

Leo sat on the school roof with Usagi and they both talked to each other about different things before having to go to class. She giggled playfully and leaned on his shoulder. Mamo smiled until he looked over to see Apollo approaching them.

"Hi," Mamo said sweetly.

The couple stopped talking when they heard Mamo and looked over their shoulder to see their friend. They both greeted him happily. Apollo just quietly sat next to them and held his knees to his chest. Leo tilted her head and studied his expression. She looked over at Usagi but her boyfriend simply shrugged his shoulders. She returned the gesture and she quickly looked back over at her friend.

"Apollo?" Leo asked worriedly.

"Can I talk to you?"

Leo and Usagi looked at each other and then back at him.

"Sure," she replied finally.

"You guys have done it before right?" He asked as he turned towards them.

"Err… um… y-yes," she replied nervously.

Usagi nodded quietly. Apollo nodded back and took a deep breath.

"Yeah so like yesterday I… Me and Yogurt," he trailed off for a moment.

"Wow. Okay um that's great. How'd that go," Leo replied awkwardly.

"It was good but like…"

Usagi saw Apollo's face turning colors. He tried to think of the worst case scenario and he spoke up.

"Did you forget something?" Usagi asked finally.

Apollo nodded slowly. Leo took a deep breath and stood up.

"No fucking way, you didn't…!" She nearly shouted.

"Leo!" Usagi and Mamo both scolded.

"No fucking way! Apollo, Yogurt's parents are going to kill you! Holy shit, how could you forget something so important!?"

"I know! I just needed someone else to know about it! What do I do!? What do I say what if I… I can't deal with this right now! I feel like a freaking idiot!" Apollo replied in a near shout.

Leo crossed her arms and paced around. Usagi and Mamo both watched her for a moment. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before saying anything else.

"Alright, alright, listen to me. You gotta take Yogurt to the hospital and like immediately," Leo said firmly.

"No he can't. They won't find anything. You'll have to wait several weeks. Just watch her behavior until then. If it's a close call then you'll know to never make that mistake again. But don't worry I'm sure everything is going to be okay," Usagi replied in his usual calm assuring voice.

Apollo nodded and tried to stay optimistic.

"Y-yeah, yeah you're right," he agreed quietly.

"Yeah and let's just hope for the best."

Leo sat back down and she turned towards Apollo.

"Okay, okay, okay, wow… this is a lot and it's not even eight yet. Did you tell Amber and Jojo?" Leo asked.

"No. Why would I? I wouldn't hear the end of it if I told Amber."

"True enough."

The three of them heard the school bell and they stood up. Leo grabbed her backpack and Mamo flew into it. They parted ways and headed to class. She couldn't stop thinking about what Apollo told her and now she was nervous. It felt like more just got added to her plate. Cho and Yogurt were both two people she was now worried about and she couldn't shake the feeling of butterflies from her stomach. She sighed nervously and found herself rubbing her arm.

"There you are," Amber said playfully as she jumped in front of her in the hallway.

Leo shot up into the air and latched onto the ceiling.

"Amber!" she scolded angrily when she finally recovered from the shock.

"What? I always think it's funny when you do that," her best friend said happily as she chuckled warmly.

"You are a little mischievous thing aren't you?"

"Only for today. C'mon we're gonna be late for class. Let's go."

Amber grabbed her hand and they ran to their class in a hurry.

* * *

That night Cho and Koyote were in the graveyard. She looked around and nodded with satisfaction.

"Let's get busy. We have an army to command," Cho said as she cracked her knuckles.

Koyote rolled his eyes and took a seat on a nearby bench. Nori flew over to him and watched her. Cho had the same book she used to transform Koyote and she read it.

"Army of the Dead, yes let's go," she said excitedly.

Koyote watched her do the same things she did before but this time nothing was happening. Cho looked around and waited for the people to rise from the grave but she received nothing. She placed her hands on her hips. She looked back at the book and read it again.

"Oooh it says we need a dead body," Cho said finally.

She walked over to the black body bag and unzipped it. The foul smell of decaying flesh from the elderly woman hit the two and they both tried not to gag.

"Ew," Cho hissed as she dragged the body over to her circle.

The moment the body came in contact with the blood in the circle it immediately was set on fire. Cho took a step back and watched black hands rise from the ground and grab the elderly woman. A huge demon emerged from it and faced Cho.

"You dare summon my army?" his voice growled deeply.

"Yes I'd like to utilize it in my efforts to take over the world," Cho replied confidently.

"You are a foolish mortal. You have no idea what power you are messing with. In order to use my army you must give me more than just this decaying flesh."

"What do you want?"

"Your soul."

"Ugh take it. I don't need it."

The demon raised an eyebrow and soon smirked.

"By your response I'd assume you don't have one to begin with. Very well. But this will only end in your demise you foolish girl."

"No it won't."

The demon grabbed her and she felt energy being drained from her body. She blacked out in that moment. Koyote quickly ran over to her once the demon was gone and he grabbed her lifeless body.

"Cho!? Cho, wake up!" he called worriedly as he shook her.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Koyote let out a sigh of relief and held her tightly.

"Jesus Christ, Cho," he muttered in relief.

He noticed her eyes were lifeless and dull. He stared at her and she shook her head before finding the strength to stand up.

"You okay?" He asked as he helped her up.

"Y-yeah," she replied but her legs crumbled.

Koyote quickly caught her and picked her up.

"C'mon let's go," Koyote said as he started walking back to their new home.

"He said… he said I can only use the army once."

Koyote looked at her and nodded.

"Alright, when do you want to use it?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. I have to plan it out."

"Alright. You need a lot of rest, it seems like,"

Cho nodded and she fell asleep on his shoulder. Nori landed on Koyote's shoulder and he took them both home.

* * *

Cho lied in bed, fast asleep. Koyote sat at the edge and stared out of the window. He lit a cigarette and took a quick puff from it.

"I'm worried she'll kill herself," Nori said quietly as she rested by the window.

"She just might," he replied.

"Aren't you scared?"

"No. I accepted death a long time ago. You have no idea. I don't know why I let her do this to me but I guess… I guess I feel like I need to pay for my sins."

"What do you mean?"

"We live in a world that demands order. Cho may or may not succeed but not without sacrifice and if it doesn't happen now then it will happen later, and I will die."

"You think she'll kill you?"

"No. Maybe the Mews, maybe a contender to take her place should she succeed. Maybe this demon will no longer find use of me and eat me from the inside out."

Nori remained quiet and nodded. She looked back out the window and her shoulders slumped. She decided to count the stars until she fell asleep. Koyote glanced at Cho and wasn't sure what to do about her. He could see his death nearing and he felt it in his gut. He knew it was coming but he wasn't exactly sure when. He took a deep breath and finally decided to get some sleep.

* * *

A few days passed and Apollo watched Fox play around with the radio that he used to contact their Moon friends. They heard static for a while. Apollo sighed loudly and lied down on the couch. Fox grew frustrated for not getting a response. He hit the radio a couple times and finally they heard a voice. Apollo sat up and they both leaned close with excitement.

"Sweet I got a connection!" Fox said happily.

Apollo watched Fox closely.

"Moon Unit come in, come in Moon Unit. This is Earth Fox asking for help, please respond," Fox said quickly.

Apollo tried to pay attention but he received a text from Yogurt. He looked at it and he was quickly reminded of his mistake. He saw her panicking again for the fourth time that day. He tried to reassure her all over again. He heard Fox repeated the same thing, over and over again. He grew tired of it and made his way into his room for quiet.

He called Yogurt and tried to get her to calm down. His reassuring voice did eventually ease her out of her panic and they soon started speaking to each other normally again. He kept her on the phone for as long as he could.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I'm a sleepy gorl. So I did write literally an entire smut scene of Apollo and Yogurt's experience BUT I censored this and took it out. So use your imagination and I will probably post it on dA for you guys, just like I will eventually post Leo and Usagi's experience. It's not like intense sexual shit since this is all virginity being lost so it's mostly awkward teenagers fumbling around figuring out the "insert dick here" basically. Nothing special but okay take your first time, imagine it was actually kinda pleasant, and that's that in a nutshell. My first time was not a good time (I was 15 oof). With that being said this story is coming to a close soon and thank you for sticking it out this long I love and appreciate you. _


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